From Storm Clouds To Sunny Skies

Today as I was driving to an out of town doctor's appointment it looked like I was driving into a bad storm. There were dark, heavy clouds above me and it started pouring rain. I was filled with dread as I got onto the highway, wondering if I would be slowed down and late to my appointment. As I drove further, I was convinced that I would be driving through blinding rain all the way to my doctor's appointment.

All the days of the oppressed are wretched, but the cheerful heart has a continual feast. ~Proverbs 15:15

Then an amazing thing happened. All of the sudden, the rain let up and the sky was filled with bright white clouds which after 5 minutes became a blue sky with sunshine. The rain was gone, and it was now a sunny day.

How often have we done that in life? I know I have come across an uncertain, potentially bad situation and jumped to the worst conclusions, letting my mind run away with me thinking about worst case scenarios. Does this sound familiar? It is too easy to project into the future and speculate as to what will happen and could go wrong.

It is so easy to consider all the negative possibilities but why are we so fast to think about the negative possibilities and not the positive ones? We spend so much time preparing ourselves for the worst instead of trusting in a God who has never broken a promise to us, and who loves us so very much.

In Luke 12, we are told that we need not worry and that we will always be taken care of. In fact, we are told to seek His kingdom, and God will be glad to give it to us! What an amazing promise that is! So then why do we wait for the other shoe to drop? Could it be that our minds are trained to do this? I think this is very possible. In a fallen world where we hear about awful things happening every day, it is so easy to believe that the worst will happen. What we don't factor into the equation is the God who is in control and can do anything!

Have you had times in your life when God brought sunshine instead of storms after rain and dark clouds? I sure have. When the uncertain times come in your life, remember and hold onto these wonderful surprises that God has brought you. They have come to you before and they will most certainly come again.

Let us pray: Father God, We thank You that You are a God that loves us so much that You want to give us so much. You want to give us Your kingdom here on earth. You tell us that where our hearts are, there will be our treasures. My treasure is with You my Lord and Savior. Thank you for all the blessings and good in my life. Help me to trust You more. Help my unbelief. Help me to believe that dark clouds can still turn into sunny days in Your hands. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen.

The Miracle of Mercy

What exactly is mercy? What is the difference between mercy and grace? For a long time, I did not understand mercy or the difference between mercy and grace. I knew that when I prayed, I thanked God for the mercy and grace He gave me every night, but I didn't truly understand the difference. I just knew how grateful I was that I was saved from my sins.

I am very grateful to understand now. Grace is the precious gift of salvation that we get when we accept Jesus as our savior. It is receiving a gift that we do not deserve. Mercy is not getting punished for our sins because of the grace we received by accepting Jesus as our saviour. It is not getting what we do deserve.

“The unfailing love of the LORD never ends! By his mercies we have been kept from complete destruction. Great is his faithfulness; his mercies begin afresh each day" ~Lamentations 3:22-23

Mercy involves forgiveness, kindness and compassion, something that God has daily towards his children. He loves us just as much despite the many times we mess up, sin and are weak. He overlooks our flaws, and sees us as we will be one day be rather than as we are now. What an amazing Heavenly Father we have!

“The wisdom from above is first of all pure. It is also peace loving, gentle at all times, and willing to yield to others. It is full of mercy.” ~James 3:17

Mercy is also something people have toward each other. In fact, God tells us in several scriptures that He wants us to have mercy toward others; the following is one:

"Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you"
~Ephesians 4:32

What does that mean to us? It means that he wants us to be kind to others, even those who hurt us or offend us. He wants us to be quick to give second chances.  God also wants us to be patient with other people's quirks, like He is with ours. He wants us to have compassion, and to help others that we see hurting or who are helpless. And, God also wants us to reach out and love those who others don't want to associate with. Is He asking a lot? He isn't asking us to do anymore than what He does for us. In Matthew 9:13, Jesus says he would rather have mercy than sacrifice.

So, like many, I have a way to go on my journey when it comes to mercy. For me, the easy part is to help those that are hurting and to be kind to people I don't know. I am still working on turning the other cheek, and being kind to people who have hurt me deeply. I am praying for guidance, direction and answers. I have read that as we face ourselves, walk meekly before God, and thirst for righteousness, God produces more mercy within us.

What are your experiences with mercy?

"Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy" ~Matthew 5:7

How Does He Love Me? Let Me Count The Ways

Have you ever felt unloved- unwanted, like you didn't belong? I sure have. There have been different times in my life where I felt so alone even in a crowded room. I felt different and while different was okay, I felt unaccepted.

When we find people who truly love us it is something to be cherished; but people can't be perfect and can't alway be there. As much as my people love me, there are times when it just doesn't come together. But my God, well He is a different story!

One of the most wonderful things I have found in my relationship with my Lord, is the perfect, unconditional, unwaivering love He has for me! His love is like a song with a beautiful melody and lovely lyrics that He serenades me with. I know that He is always with me, and that He is there to help me. He will cover my every need. How amazing is that? Like a perfect Father, He does what is best for me, even if it's not what I think I want. He watches over me from above; He gave me Jesus who is always with me, and even died for me! On top of that He sent His Holy Spirit to live within me. Read more from scripture about this incredible love He has for me and for you:

1.   His love cannot be shaken:
"Though the mountains be shaken and the hills be removed, yet my unfailing love for you will not be shaken." ~Isaiah 54:10

2.   He loves me at my worst:
"Jesus Christ came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the worst." ~1 Timothy 1:15

3.   He never lets anything separate us from His love:
"For I am persuaded that neither death nor life nor angels nor principalities nor things present nor things to come height nor depth nor any other created thing shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Jesus Christ our Lord." ~Romans 8:37-39

4.   He loves us so much that He gives us grace that pardons us from our sins:
"Because of His great love for us, God, who is rich is mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions- it is by grace that you have been saved."               ~Ephesians 2:4-5

5.    His love endures forever:
"Give thanks to the Lord of lords: His love endures forever. to him who alone does great wonders, His love endures forever." ~ Psalm 136:2-3

6.    His love never fails:
" How precious is your unfailing love, O God! All humanity finds shelter in the shadow of your wings."  ~Psalm 36:7

7.    God loves us so much, that we give Him joy:
" The LORD your God is in your midst, a victorious warrior. He will exult over you with joy, He will be quiet in His love, He will rejoice over you with shouts of joy." ~Zephaniah 3:17

8.    His love is so big:
"Your love, LORD, reaches to the heavens, your faithfulness to the skies." ~Psalm 36:5

9.    He loves us so much, He gave us His own son to free us from our sins so we could be in   eternity with him:
"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life."  ~John 3:16

10.   He loves us so much that He will also love our descendants as well:
"Know therefore that the LORD you God is God; he is the faithful God, keeping his covenant of love to a thousand generations of those who love him and keep his commands." ~Deuteronomy 7:9

There are so many more than this! You can go through the whole Bible and find countless verses that tell you about God's love. You may or may not have a valentine for Valentine's Day, but remember how loved you are every single day!

Where Do You Look For Your Peace?

On whom do you rely? Most people I know would initially say God. Now really think about it. When you need someone, do you go right to a friend, or do you go right to the Lord?

It is easier to go to a friend to fulfill one's needs. Many times a friend will say what one needs to hear, and give us the physical affection that feels so good when we're in need. We can get the instant gratification that we long for. The problem is that we can't rely on people like we can rely on God, in fact people can't even come close. Even the best people are fallible. We're all human with our frailty and weaknesses, with our own needs.

God on the other hand, doesn't change. He isn't human, He is so much more and so much bigger. Sometimes we forget how big He really is. He created everything around us, every single blessing that each of us has was made and formed by Him. Every good thing in us, was created by Him. He knew how many hairs were on our heads before we were born. He is our God of wonders.

So why would we ever rely on anyone but Him? I found myself asking the same question some years ago. I still rely on people to a degree, but now I rely on Him first and foremost. When people let me down, I'm not devastated like I used to be. My God is in control and He carries the weight of the burdens that I lay before him each day. What a relief! When I do that, He gives me a peace that knows no understanding; a peace that cannot be found anywhere else.

I hope and pray that if you don't put Your hope and trust in God already, that You will start. He doesn't break His promises. He is so caring and giving, and He always does what is best for us. He will always be there for you, no matter what. There is nothing like experiencing joy in the midst of the storm. This can happen when God holds us steady and takes our worries from us, it's so amazing! And I would love to see you experience His incredible peace and joy that only He can give. I pray that, for every one of you.

Song Of Hope

Have you been in that place? That place where you can't get back up again? I wrote that poem way back when I was in the middle of a nasty divorce, my teen-aged children were thoroughly confused, and each one had problems of their own on top of trying to deal with a sick, alcoholic father and a mother who finally realized she couldn't fix him. The abuse that came in drunken episodes triggered memories of my own childhood trauma and I was overwhelmed with so much more than I could deal with. I was told I had PTSD-Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. I had come to the end of myself. I had run out of everything.

God met me there. In the middle of being broken in a thousand pieces. Instead of giving up, I surrendered and my new life began. I had given my life to Jesus many years before that, but this was something different. I let Him in to the deepest parts of myself that had been locked up for so long. I let Him! I had been holding on to all the wrong things and I had no idea until I sat there on the floor, a total mess. I had tried so hard to keep control of everything as I watched myself lose control of so much. Now here I was admitting I had no control and trusting someone other than myself. It was like a light bulb went on. A light, finally after the longest, darkest night! I didn't feel alone anymore. I couldn't explain it, but now I had hope. Nothing had really changed, except my heart.

All of these things I had read, studied, heard, and even said to other people had finally gone from my head to my heart. I didn't know how but I knew things would get better, and that I was loved by Him, the Sovereign God, who moves mountains. I knew He would take care of me and my children- and He has. My life and theirs have changed for the better and we have been blessed immeasurably. That doesn't mean more trials didn't come along, they have. I am so much better equipped to handle the trials now, especially since I am not the one handling them, but He in me. And He has taught me to focus on the blessings, ones that I never take granted.

Do you remember when God met you in your mess? Did you ever come to the end of yourself and completely surrender to Him? Have you let go of trying to control things and given the reins to the One who reigns? Please share below and join me in this prayer:

Father God, Thank You for being my Heavenly Father. You are the one who is in control, not me, please forgive me for trying to control what isn't mine to control. Forgive me for not surrendering my life and will to You. I surrender myself to You right now Lord, and ask that You help me to align my will with Yours. Thank You for having a perfect plan for my life. Help me to trust You and to have the faith of a mustard seed. You have never broken a promise to me Lord, and You have blessed me. Thank you for all the blessings. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen.