GOD IS IN YOUR MIDST

Have you thanked Him?

Have you praised Him?

Have you made it your priority to agree and cooperate with Him today?

Have you taken that deep breath and listened for what He has for you today?

1 Timothy 2:1 (The Message)

The first thing I want you to do is pray. Pray every way you know how, for everyone you know.

“If you have put your faith in Christ and have spent significant time in the Word of God, the tough times can be like a magnet that draws you to the Lord Jesus. Nothing is going to happen - ever - that will catch Jesus Christ by surprise. He is able to help His children work through anything, and not a single thing is going to happen in the future that can change that fact.” ― David Jeremiah

The Lord your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save… he will quiet you by his love… Zephaniah 3:17 (ESV)

Dr. Jeremiah is right, isn’t he?

Tough times will and do draw us to the Lord.  Invariably.

We have seen it when our nation has been challenged by disaster or attack, we turn our attention back to the Lord.  And I see it all the time with individuals who are in crisis or being pressed to deal with difficult circumstances or challenges.

The guttural response is often to turn to or back to the LORD.

Case in point.

I have several friends who are incarcerated.

That is a tough time!

And without exception all of them in one way or another, to one degree or another, have reached out for the LORD’S HELP.

For pressure does drive us to our knees huh?

Like it or not, we have battles to fight in life. Some of our battles are with other people and some are with ourselves and Charles Stanley often says that if we fight our battles on our knees, we'll win…

And I agree.

Yesterday I was thrust into one of those challenging or tough situations, an uncomfortable circumstance and my only course of action was to “get on my knees” or in this case pray in my car on the drive up. 

I was asked to come alongside another family who had lost their son to overdose.  Yet in this case, this family was channeling the pain of their loss into action; proposed legislative action.  They felt strongly that a broken system had let them and their son down.  And given the circumstances and details of his passing, they aren’t mistaken.

They were notably bitter.  Angry. Frustrated. These parents felt stymied.  What seemed to be their reasonable solutions were and are being met with resistance from the same system that seemed to let them down.

I didn’t feel I had much to offer.

But it was the encouragement of Dr. Jeremiah and passages like 1 Corinthians 10:13 and Isaiah 41:10, Proverbs 3 that carried me through this “over my head” conversation and interaction.  It was IMPORTANT to KNOW that what Zephaniah said was right, GOD WAS in our midst, even as we convened and eventually prayed on the bottom floor of the Rhodes State Office Tower.

Sadly, I don’t believe this family got the PRACTICAL answer they were seeking. 

Not yet at least.

But thanks to the Holy Spirit I pray I was able to remind them that nothing was too big for our GOD, that GOD deeply cared about them, that GOD was not in shock and awe over their circumstance and HE WOULD be faithful to HIMSELF and them.

That...

He (GOD) will sustain… - Psalm 55:22 (ESV)

Perhaps you are facing a seemingly insurmountable challenge today.  Take heart.  Maybe take a knee? 

Remember:

GOD is in your midst.

GOD is not surprised by your challenge.

GOD is poised and listening.

GOD will sustain you.

GOD is able and will help you to work through anything.

Have a blessed day.

I love you all!

OPPORTUNITIES for HOPE