NEAR TO THE TRUSTWORTHY HEART

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.

 

There is a place of quiet rest,

Near to the heart of God;

A place where sin cannot molest,

Near to the heart of God.

 

There is a place of comfort sweet,

Near to the heart of God;

A place where we our Savior meet,

Near to the heart of God.

 

There is a place of full release,

Near to the heart of God;

A place where all is joy and peace,

Near to the heart of God. – McAfee

 

While doing a conference yesterday with my dear friends and teammates from the Attorney General’s office, we received a series of messages from one of our colleagues, a mom who has been in this fight against opioid addiction from the jump.  She has started her own non-profit work.  She is a leader who has been called upon to share with the likes of 60 Minutes and others.  She is a beacon of light for parents across OHIO and beyond.

 

This momma has children who are addicted.

Deeply addicted.

 

And each day in the back of her mind she fears the text or call that one of her kids is the “next kid”. 

Yesterday that call came.

 

As I pen this today one of her boys is on life support in a local hospital following an overdose.  Prognosis is bleak.  There may be pneumonia to complicate matters. 

I ask you to pray for the family of my friend B.

 

And inevitably the questions are flooding.

“Why GOD when all that I am doing to eradicate this ill in our society do you allow my boy to be overcome?”  “Why when I am a champion for SO MANY parents, is this now happening?”

 

These are the days when as her “Pastor friend” I feel so inadequate.

Words don’t hold up.

And yet I am leaning on the observation of Charles Spurgeon today as I prepare to chat with her later.

We cannot always trace God's hand, but we can always trust God's heart.

 

So, my ‘strategy’ is to get as NEAR to that heart as I can.

 

For there is QUIET REST.

For there is COMFORT SWEET.

For there is our SAVIOR with arms wide open to console and guide.

(...our Savior, who daily bears our burdens. – Psalm 68:19)

And thankfully there is FULL RELEASE.

 

And no, I can’t trace the hand of GOD or ever begin to understand or question “WHY” on 1.16.2017 my friend’s boy is in the situation he is in.  But I can trust GOD because I know…the way HE thinks is beyond the way I think. (Isaiah 55:10 MSG).  And my job is to trust Him.(Proverbs 3).  My job is to remind that GOD can be trusted for good. (Romans 8)

 

So, I will draw near to Him to get the help I need for my friend today.  

I will encourage her to do the same.

 

But what about you?

Are you in a situation that is “surpassing your understanding”?

Don’t lean on it. 

Instead draw near to the heart of GOD. He will draw near to you. (James 4:8)

 

And there you will find exactly what you need, near the TRUSTWORTHY heart of GOD!  

 

 

 

 

 

Love ya all!

Have a blessed DAY!

OPPORTUNITIES for HOPE