Moms Two Cents

This past week we have been reminded of just how quickly life as we know it can change. With a ring of the phone, a message, in the blink of an eye everything that felt destined and secure can be scrambled. We are left feeling insecure, vulnerable, and shaken. This week, we have seen the miracle of God’s protection, felt the shock of illness for someone dear to us, and witnessed just how fast someone’s life can be changed by a tragic event.

We have gone from rejoicing and praising God for His protection over one friend to experiencing sadness and grief for the trials of others. As we try to consolidate these very different circumstances into meaning we can become tempted to question why God allows both good and bad situations to occur? We can easily become overwhelmed and discouraged, allowing these feelings to destroy our faith, hope and assurance of God’s perfect plan. But, we as believers are called to exercise our faith, in both good and bad situations, to give our joy, praise, gratefulness and thanksgiving along with our disappointment, grief and worry to God remembering that “…all things work together for good to them that love God” (Romans 8:28 KJV), then we be comforted in His unending promises.

We have assurance that these circumstances, both jubilant and disappointing are all part of God’s master plan. We cannot question why he brings joy in one situation and not another. Who are we to question His mighty ways? In Isaiah 55:8-11 the Lord declares “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways. As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts. As the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return to it without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish, so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater, so is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it. “(NIV).

We do not know the plans of our righteous maker, we cannot comprehend the massive mighty plans of our God. We must hold steadfast in our faith and hold on to HIS promises in both joy and trials of this life.

Songs:

Bible Verses:

Hebrews 10:23 – Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. (NIV).

Psalm 121:1-2 – “I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my Help. My Help cometh from the LORD, which made heaven and earth.”

Psalm 16:9 – “Therefore my heart is glad, and my glory rejoiceth: my flesh also shall rest in hope.”

John 16:33 – “These things I have spoken unto you, that in Me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.”

Psalm 34:18 – The LORD is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit. (NIV).

John 14:1 – Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me.”

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Have you ever put a puzzle together and not been able to fit all the pieces together? Better yet…. Did you find a piece that you just knew should fit and forcefully pressed it into a space that it really didn’t belong? What happened to the puzzle piece you forced? What about the pieces around it?  Did they become distorted? Maybe the edges peeled up a little and looked wrinkled or damaged?

Received some words of wisdom over lunch with a friend this past week… “When it’s in God’s plan, all the pieces fit perfectly together like a puzzle. You shouldn’t have to force a piece to fit.” Wow at how such truth can reveal itself over a basket of nachos and cheese!

That was an “Ah Ha!” moment for me. Sometimes we want something so badly that we desperately try to “cram” our own will upon a situation in our life. We disregard our trust and faith in God for our own desires. We end up coming out of the situation mangled with the edges of our lives being peeled back, wrinkled and damaged.

Allowing God to give us direction in our life means we have to surrender our own dreams and desires and dedicate ourselves to faith and His assurance of guidance and protection. Taking that leap of faith requires us to let go of our own control and trust God to hold, guide and direct our lives. God’s beautiful plan for our lives is a “perfect fit”, we just have to let go and ask for his hand to place our puzzled pieces of life together.

Songs:

Bible Verses:

Proverbs 3:5-6 – “Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight. ” (NIV)

Psalm 9:10 – “And they that know thy name will put their trust in thee: for thou, LORD, hast not forsaken them that seek thee.”

Psalm 37:5 “Commit thy way unto the LORD; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass.”

Psalm 31:14-15 – “But as for me, I trust in You, O LORD; I say, “You are my God.” My times are in Your hand;” (NKJV)

Psalm 22:4 – “Our fathers trusted in thee: they trusted, and thou didst deliver them.” (KJV)

Psalm 105:4 – “Look to the LORD and his strength; seek his face always.” (NIV)

Jeremiah 17:5 – “This is what the LORD says: “Cursed is the one who trusts in man, who depends on flesh for his strength and whose heart turns away from the LORD.” (NIV)

1 Chronicles 16:11 – “Look to the LORD and his strength; seek his face always.” (NIV)

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Have you been through a life experience with feelings of hopelessness and uncertainty, not knowing whether you could overcome and continue? I think we all have faced some degree of this feeling in our lives. Whether it be separation from someone we love, heartache, disappointment, illness, or rejection.

Whether we are in the finest most exuberant points of our lives or just struggling through, we can quickly be overtaken by a fast approaching un-forecasted storm in life. Quickly we can be thrown into a ragging struggle that can feel unwinnable with no end or peaceful horizon visible. During these storms feelings of doubt, despair and grief can devour all hope, joy and peace from our souls. We are tormented by “no way out”,” unwinnable”, “what’s the use”, feelings and emotions.

During these times of despair we need only to muster up the strength to cast out one lifeline… one morsel of hope… that is our faith in the one who can either swiftly overcome our struggle for us, or hold us in his safe embrace through our storm. By calling out for help and peace during our storm we can be comforted and embraced with the “peace that passes all human understanding”.

Depending on the struggle, Jesus will either deliver us from our ragging sea or envelope us with a soothing peace as we tread through the crashing waves. We may not understand at the time why Jesus chooses to either command our storm to cease or allow us to continue through the winds and rain, but we can keep faith in knowing that going through our storms by holding close to Him we can mature spiritually. By drawing closer to him through our storm our faith and patience in learning to trust in Him can be strengthened beyond measure.

We will experience struggles, afflictions, deep pains, heartache and grief. We don’t have to endure the storm alone, without hope, we can call out to God and trust in His power. As followers in Christ we are not awarded a “free pass” from the wrath of lifes furious storms, but we are comforted through our faith and trust in Christ during our storm.

Songs

Music and song can inspire and uplift us, speak to our soul, give us strength in times of need, reveal truths and empower our walk as Christians.

David was a shepherd, great warrior and Jewish King. He was also a musician and author of some of the most beautiful poems ever written in the book of Psalm. The bible refers to music and song and how it was used as thanks and Praise to God.

Psalm 138 – ¹ I will praise you, Lord, with all my heart; before the “gods” I will sing your praise. (NIV)

If you are inspired and touched by the spirit through song, the links below are suggestions that may touch and comfort you when confronted with a storm in life.

Bible Passages

1 Peter 5:7 – ⁷ Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.

Psalm 18:2 ^{– 2} The Lord is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.

Psalm 34:18 – ¹⁸ The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.

Luke 12:7 – ⁷ Indeed, the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.

1 John 4:4 – “⁴ You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world.

Isaiah 41:10 – ¹⁰ So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.

Psalm 9:9 – ⁹ The Lord is a refuge for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble.

Psalm 22:24 – ²⁴ For he has not despised or scorned the suffering of the afflicted one; he has not hidden his face from him but has listened to his cry for help.

Psalm 27:4-5 – ⁴ One thing I ask from the Lord, this only do I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze on the beauty of the Lord and to seek him in his temple. ⁵ For in the day of trouble he will keep me safe in his dwelling; he will hide me in the shelter of his sacred tent and set me high upon a rock.

Psalm 37:39 – ³⁹ The salvation of the righteous comes from the Lord; he is their stronghold in time of trouble.

Psalm 46:1-3 – ¹ God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. ² Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, ³ though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging.

Matthew 11:28-30 – ²⁸ “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. ²⁹ Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. ³⁰ For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”

2 Corinthians 12:9-10 – ⁹ But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. ¹⁰ That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

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