December 23, 2024

Where Is God?

August 29, 2014 by

encouragementbloggraphicromans15

You keep track of all my sorrows.
You have collected all my tears in your bottle.
You have recorded each one in your book.
Psalm 56:8

There has been so much heartache this past week. I have heard many question where God has been lately and has He taken a vacation? And He reminds us in His Word that He is sovereign and He is to be trusted in all things. “He gives and takes away. Blessed be the name of the Lord” (Job 1:21).

In my little hometown of Jackson, Mississippi, a precious young athletic football player lost his battle and passed away.  One minute he is running down the field, the next in a hospital, and his parents and friends are devastated.  No one expected it, but His Creator knew.  In the town of Birmingham, Alabama another precious young woman is visiting home, doing laundry, and eating one last meal with her family before she heads back to school.  Her parents say it was a joyful occasion and full of laughter.  In a blink of an eye, she is with Jesus.

In Jackson young people from rival schools are coming together to pray. Across town, a young person plans a prayer vigil at a public school. The kids come voluntarily at 6 a.m. to pray for this family that they do not know.  In Birmingham, the girl’s father says that we will not call her accident a tragedy but a triumph because she is with Jesus now.

And when the question is asked, “Where is God?” the answer will be—He is exactly where He was when His own Son died on the Cross.  He is watching His children hurt; and the Holy Spirit is moving and comforting all those who lost someone and all those who don’t understand.  God is in the young people who are gathering for prayer vigils.  He is with the parents who are devastated and He will carry them when they can’t put one foot in front of the other.  He is with the family of that young woman who was taken too soon…yet…right on time. He was there when the young man’s parents donated his organs and a 14 year old got a heart.  And He is with us now.

Yay though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil.
Thy rod and Thy staff, they comfort me.

Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life
and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever. Amen.

Psalms 23:4 and 6

As His Word proclaims, He really does bottle up our tears.  The Creator of the universe keeps track of all our sorrows.  That’s how much you matter to Him.

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Do you know this Lord, the Creator of the universe?  Do you have His hope to cling to?  If the answer is no, then I ask you to pray a prayer with me and ask Him to be Lord of your life.

Let us pray: Dear Lord, I know that I am a sinner and I need a Savior.  I believe that Jesus is Your Son.  I believe that He died on the Cross to save me from my sin.  I ask You today to come into my heart and walk with me daily.  In Jesus name I pray, amen.

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Life’s Healing Choices – Chapter 2 Review

January 18, 2013 by

Realize I am not God

Earnestly believe that God exists, that I matter to Him, that He has the power to help me recover.

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“Happy are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.”

Matthew 5:4

 

In the first chapter, we admitted we were powerless.  Now in the second chapter, we come to believe God exists, that we ARE important to Him and that we are capable to receive His power to help us to recover.  All we have to do is believe and receive.  In the second chapter we find the hope in Christ alone through His promises: “He will bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair.  They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the Lord for the display of His splendor.” Isaiah 61:3

On Tuesday, Leslie talked with us about 3 amazing truths about God: That God exists; you matter to Him; and He has the power to help you. From the beginning of Creation, we have acknowledged that God exists—just take a look at the stars, the mountains, the oceans—all the magnificent artwork of a God who loves us enough to splash beauty all around us. Ok, so we believe He exists but do we really believe we matter to Him?  Leslie did a beautiful job showing us through His word and David’s psalms that yes, we matter so much that God keeps track of all my sorrows. “He has collected all my tears in His bottle and has recorded each one in His book.”Psalm 56:8

Wednesday, Kim gave us a reality check on keeping plugged into God’s power.  After all, do we really think we can run our TV’s, computers, game stations, ovens, microwaves, or coffee pots without power?  How do we then expect God to answer our prayers and pleas for help without being plugged into Him?  Knowing who He is and believing His promises: “When you pass through the waters, I will be with you, and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze.” Isaiah 43:2

On Thursday, Amy took us through praying for God to fill us with His love, let His power wash over us and heal our hurts, habits or hang ups.  Then we began learning the importance of writing about what God is doing in your life through this study, so you can look back and are encouraged as you journey through the eight choices.  Finally, sharing with each other along the way.  “As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another.” Proverbs 27:17   We are to encourage one another through our walk. We will run into times when we do not want to deal with issues we are facing. However, through accountability and sharing throughout the study, others will encourage you to press on toward the finish.  Receive what God has in store for you.

I want to encourage you with another promise from His word:

 

Verse 5 goes on to say “No one will be able to stand up against you all the days of your life.  I will never leave you nor forsake you.”   What amazing promises of hope we have studied and learned this week.

 

“I will give you every place where you set your foot, as I promised Moses.”

— Joshua 1:3 —

Let’s Pray:

Most gracious and loving Father, we are so overwhelmed by the fact that we matter so much to You that You give us a crown of beauty. You record our tears and that You will never leave us nor forsake us.  Father, as we begin to lay down our hurts and habits, and trust You will heal our hearts, please give us the courage to change what we know we can and let You change what we cannot.  Give us wisdom and strength to finish this journey and endure while the miracles happen! We give all the glory and honor to You.  In Jesus’ Name we pray, Amen!!

Your Assignment:

As you go into the weekend, I would challenge you to search who you really believe God is.  What are some of His characteristics. Share your thoughts.  Then how can your relationship with God help you face the areas you need to turn over to Him?  Remember, comments made here are public. You do have the option of signing in anonymously.

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If you are interested in joining us for the online Bible study, click HERE.
Once we receive your registration, we will email you further details.

If you would like to send a private message to Laurie in regards to this blog, please email her at laurie@girlfriendscoffeehour.com

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Life’s Healing Choices: Week 2 – Truth About God

January 15, 2013 by

Today, as we continue to explore Choice 2 (the Hope Choice), we are going to talk in detail about the three magnificent truths about God:

1) God exists

2) I matter to Him

3) He has the power to help me.

My daughter loves to do science experiments. I realized how quiet she was one afternoon. I looked around the house and noticed she was on the back deck. She had a box of baking powder, 3 cups with water, and a bottle of vinegar. She wanted me to come watch her amazing (trick) experiment she learned at church. She showed me what would happen when adding different amounts of baking soda and vinegar to the cups. She smiled and giggled after showing me the cause and effect from her volcanic eruption experiment.

My reason for the story relates to belief in God. Do you believe God exists? The Bible makes it clear that belief in God is essential: “Anyone who comes to him must believe that He exists and that He rewards those who earnestly seek Him” Hebrews 11:6. Most people do acknowledge that God exists. Where there is an effect, there must be a cause, (just like the example of the volcanic experiment shown from my daughter). We can see that where there is creation, there must be a Creator. “For ever since the world was created, people have seen the earth and sky. Through everything God made, they can clearly see His invisible qualities–His eternal power and divine nature. So they have no excuse for not knowing God.” Romans 1:20. (NLT)

Ok, so most people believe God exists; but the bigger question is, do you believe you matter to Him? The reason a lot of us don’t know we matter to God is that we don’t really know what God is like. I remember right before I started my walk, I asked everyone I could to tell me what God is like. I even had a few tell me I could create who I wanted my God to be and the qualities I wanted from Him. Our personal perception of God is not what matters. What does matter is the truth of who He really is. This is where we have a hard time with trust. It’s very difficult trying to trust something or someone that we do not know about or understand. John Baker said in this chapter, “Until we know God’s true character, we can’t completely trust Him.”

Growing up, I had a very hard time with trust due to my relationship with my father and a few male relationships in my teens. Unfortunately, these feelings and hurts carried into my adulthood until this past year. I had a very hard time trusting, especially males. Our relationship with our parents can actually affect what our perception of our Heavenly Father might be. The truth is, as humans we are flawed. These flaws result in treating each other in hurtful and unloving ways. The truth is, God is love and can be nothing but love. We must be careful not to confuse our experiences with man/men with the reality of who God is.

King David had much sorrow in his life, and he said of God, “You have listened to my troubles and have seen the crisis of my soul.” Our situations in life are the same. Whatever you’re going through right now, Your Father knows what you need before you ask Him. “The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those crushed in spirit. “Psalm 34:18”. God’s character shows us just how great His love is for us by sending Christ to die for us. I don’t know about you, but I think this is what gives me the trust in my Heavenly Father. God’s compassion for His children is so incredible and unconditional! How does that make you feel knowing God loves you so much and cares about every hurt that has you heartbroken?

In Psalm 56:8 (NLT) says: “You keep track of all my sorrows. You have collected all my tears in your bottle. You have recorded each one in your book.” We may think nobody knows what we are going through, or can’t understand what happened…but God does. God knows us, cares about us and can change the situation.

Lastly, I would like you to really think about this question. What hurt, hang-up, or habit today, or from the past, just doesn’t seem to go away, such as a dead relationship, or even an addiction? Does this situation seem hopeless to ever change? I didn’t think my situation would ever change; in fact, I truly felt absolutely hopeless! Not one person ever told me that I would ever be healthy again. My doctors told me at one point, I was probably going to die, or continue to have shock treatments and hospitalization for my major depression for the rest of my life. Talk about feeling hopeless! But today, I laugh as I write this. Reason being, I know God has the power to change a situation because He sure changed mine! I no longer feel that deep depression and the desire to die any longer. I have been delivered from that agonizing depression deep in my soul and I feel great joy to be alive. Now this IS a miracle of healing that is only of God!

I DECLARE HE HAS THE POWER TO CHANGE YOU AND YOUR SITUATION!

Let’s Pray:

Father, we come to You today because we believe in You. We can trust that You are always with us and care so much for us. Thank You God for showing us Your great love by sending Christ to die for us. Lord, we believe You have power to change us and our situations that have seemed so hopeless. Lord, we thank You for Your love and the hope we find in You. In Jesus’ name we pray, Amen.

Your Assignment:

Write down what situations you have been dealing with that have seemed hopeless to ever change. Then ask yourself, do I now feel and believe in my heart, that God can change it? Write it, pray about it, and please share it. (Remember this is a PUBLIC forum. You do have the ability to sign in anonymously, if you wish.)

If you are interested in joining this Online Bible Study, and becoming a member of our private online discussion group, please click HERE to sign up. Once you are registered, we will email you further details.

If you would like to send a private message to Leslie in regards to this blog, please email her at: Leslie@girlfriendscoffeehour.com

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