Hold On

Do you ever feel like the whole world is pressing in on you?  Feel like you are trapped with no feasible way out? I have never been comfortable in confined spaces.  I am certain that when I was an infant swaddled in a blanket I was screaming inside, “Let me out!” Frankly, that feeling has not diminished as an adult.  When I met my husband he played in a band.  He loved live music so while dating we went to many concerts.  I tried to focus on the music, but my stress increased throughout the evening as I looked at the size of the crowd and anticipated the mass exodus.  When the time came, the only way I would survive without a full-blown anxiety attack was to grab my husband’s arm, close my eyes and walk just slightly behind him.  He would forge a way through the crowd and if I happened to peek the only thing I saw was his broad back.  Before I knew it, I was outside breathing in the fresh air….free.

This wasn’t my only option. 

I could have walked into the hallway and yelled, “ Move aside and let me pass.”  Naturally, they would question, “Who are you?” and would be correct in doing so as I had no authority in that situation.

I could have waited an hour or so for the crowd to naturally dissipate.  But, how much of my life do I want to give up to fear?

I could have jumped into the crowd without a plan.  I would have quickly become overwhelmed as I was crushed on every side lacking the strength to push my way out.  

Thank goodness I had the thought to trust someone bigger than myself. One who not only formulated a plan as he could clearly see the exit door, but also had the strength to forge a path for me. One who grabbed my hand, as I threaded it through his arm, and never let go until I was free. 

I have heard from many who are going through a tough season.   Some wonder why their prayers for direction are met with silence.  First, May I encourage you that Jesus has authority over every obstacle you encounter. If you are met with silence you have a clear decision.  Trust or not trust.  At the concert I had to literally shut my eyes to change my focus. I did not need to understand how we were going to get out.  I simply needed to trust in the one who was holding my hand.  Ironically, when we feel so lost and out of control these are the times we are most richly blessed.  When a lesson is no longer something we simply read in a book, but actually experience it changes your paradigm forever.

Grab onto the Savior.   As you see your hand threading into His, know there is neither cause to hide in fear or jump without a plan for He has already forged a path you need only hold on. 

Yom Kippur - The Day of Atonement

Over the last week, various organizations have sent out a call to prayer for our nation, government and world situations.  The prayer time was to begin today, Yom Kippur, and end on Election Day, November 6^th.  This initiative included a list of prayer requests for each day so we could be unified in our voice.

This morning I was completely prepared to humble myself, cry out for forgiveness and mercy and seek blessing. I sat down with my journal, dated the top of the page and began with The Lord’s Prayer.  Not typical, but inspired so I went with it.  As I continued on with the “list” of prayer requests I felt less and less passion to continue.  I realized I was supposed to spend more time listening than talking and here is what I heard.

“Oh, what is man without a Savior?  Can he exist for any good purpose when flesh rules and reigns?  You have tried everything without Me, but it was never intended to be that way.  I have compassion for the lost and weary.  The world is a cruel master.  Not my creation but how it has been exploited…for gains, not sustenance…for profit, not pleasure…for greed, not good. 

Return to Me oh people of mine.  I have redeemed you long ago.  A Savior, my own Son, brought forth in great pain of my heart, but also with great love for you.  See the sacrifice as an open door to enter my Kingdom… to come to Me freely.  I hated the veil.  The separation.  Now the way is open and so few choose to come near.  This is the message of today.  Come Near to Me My people.  I want to be your God.  To hold you up, to walk out this life into the next.  Our relationship will be eternal.”

When I was a little girl and went to my father to confess my wrongs I was usually sent to my room.  Separated from my family with a grounding.  Today when this little girl came before her Heavenly Father, she heard “Come Near to Me…”  This is the heart of our Father.  He has come to restore and redeem.  Oh, that we would let Him!  

Help, is where I am

When I was younger I watched Gilligan’s Island almost every day after school. The show so preoccupied my thoughts I even dreamed one night I was on the island with the whole crew. I was very sad when I woke up because I really wanted to stay there and oh how I tried to get back. For several weeks I went to bed with a picture of the island in my head and said, “I want to go to Gilligan’s Island” over and over until I fell asleep. I’m sorry to say I never visited again.

Are you hoping and praying for things that are not coming to pass?

This morning in my prayer time I heard the following:

“Help, is where I am. Turn not from the desires put in your heart. Hold on to righteousness for righteousness is Christ! You can impact many more than you realize if you will just start. Just start and I will be there. Help, is where I am…loving you.”

Having never heard the phrase, “Help, is where I am” I decided to do a little research on the word help and here is what I found out.

The Greek word Bonoela (boetheia bo-ay-thi-ah) is from the word aid; specifically a rope or chain for frapping a vessel; - help. Boetheia denotes (1) “an answer to a cry for help”: “Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help (boetheia) in time of need”, Heb 4:16 literally, “(grace) unto (timely) help”; and (2) in Acts 27:17, where the plural is used, the term is nautical, “frapping”: “Which when they had taken up, they used helps (boetheia), undergirding the ship and, fearing lest they should fall into the quicksands, strake sail, and so were driven.” Frapping means to use ropes or chains to wrap around a ship to prevent its demise. (Strong’s Expanded Concordance)

I believe God has put things on your heart just like He has mine. They were not put there to dream about, or petition nightly in hopes they would come true, but to actually “do” them as they were meant to impact others for good.

It’s time to tackle the dream, start the “good works” we were created to accomplish, and honestly look at the personal shortcomings, which hold us back.

You will never get off the same old path if you don’t stop and walk a new direction.

You will never be more loving unless you love without expectation.

You will never encourage others if you are afraid to speak.

You will never be more giving until you start giving things away.

You will never be humble if you don’t repent.

You will never keep your integrity if you don’t maintain it.

You will never truly know God’s heart unless you read His word.

You will never know peace until you stop trying to “make it happen”.

You will never do the greater things until you complete the lesser things.

You will never forget to thank God if you continually talk to Him.

You will never learn from others if you believe they have nothing to teach you.

You will never witness the lame walk or the blind see unless you “go for it”.

You will never share your story of salvation if you are afraid of rejection.

You will never be a light on a hill if you are unwilling to take the hill.

However…if you step out in Faith

You will never need to worry about becoming shipwrecked like Gilligan…

In answer to your cry for help, God will wrap His arms around you to prevent your demise. For He says “Help, is where I Am”.

Spring

Ten years ago when we bought our home, there was a climbing rose bush on the front fence. My husband and I decided we would leave it up for privacy. Over the years I would prune it a bit. Honestly, only enough to prevent my husband from getting marred when he cut the grass. As time went on the blooms began to fade from pink to white, small mulberry trees had grown up in the middle and the old dead branches were so interwoven with the new growth it became impossible to discern where to prune. The bush was now more than 10 feet tall by 15 feet wide and was so heavy it was breaking the fence and pulling it off its foundation. This was no longer a simple pruning job. It was time to take this monster down.

I went out one unusually mild January afternoon with the plan of cutting it little by little each week so that by spring it would be gone. I was not outside more than 15 minutes when a white truck pulled up. Out stepped a man who asked, “Do you need any yard work done?” I laughed out loud. “What would you charge me to take out this rose bush?” He gave me a price of $30 plus the brush dump fee. Amazingly, that was all I had at the time. Within an hour the bush was gone, the pieces were swept up and the fence repaired. There is no longer any evidence of the monstrosity that once dominated my front yard.

Now before you all ask for the number of my incredibly reasonable new yardman may we consider a few things? I had a monster that I put off dealing with for many years. My first excuse was it provides privacy. How many times in our own lives do we ignore things because it gives us a place to hide? How many times do we fail to address issues until they actually begin to break our ability to stand and pull us off of our foundation? In my rose bush I actually had new growth coming from dead shoots. What a deception. I honestly don’t understand that, but in reality what kind of flower, if any at all, could come from this foundation?

Within a few minutes of my decision to tackle this bush (issue) a white truck showed up. He had actually been driving up and down the neighborhood looking for people who needed help. Who does that sound like? And the price was really nothing. It was more of a gift. A gift like the one we received from Christ. We were a snarling mess of thorns and fading blooms, the appearance of life interwoven in death. As we made a decision and took one step toward Him, He cut the whole thing down to the foundations. Not to destroy us, but to build us up again. He gave everything He had in exchange for everything we had. In the end there is no evidence of what once was. There is however the expectation of new growth in the spring.

Mark 1:15

Lost and Found

During my quiet time last week I heard the following word.

“You have been found.”

“Everyone is telling my people they are lost. (lost hope, lost future, lost dreams)

Tell them they have been found!”

“You have been found righteous through Christ.

You have been found a friend.

You have been found loved by a Father.

You have been found with a future.

You have been found with a hope.

You have been found realizing your dreams.

Set your eyes on Me! I have my eyes on you.”