DRAWING NEAR

Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. James 4:8 NASB

My kitties love sunbathing on the back porch. I would have named that as their favorite thing to do. I would have been wrong.

As I was praying and doing my devotions, they came in from their porch time to curl up—one in my lap and one tucked tightly beside me. There have been a lot of rainy days this summer, limiting their time basking in the sun, but their priority was time spent with me.

This caused me to contemplate the value of things that sometimes wrestle for my time with God, and search my heart for where my cherished time lies. What are my priorities? What nourishes my soul? 

Seeking God and sitting in His Holy presence was my answer.

Nothing else soothes and brings comfort to my wounds when the trials of life are scraping my soul raw. 

Nothing heals my hurts like His loving touch on my aching heart. 

Nothing gives me hope, peace and strength like His word spoken deep into my spirit.

We are in desperate need of healing from all life's pain. Nothing can satisfy that longing except time spent with our Father. 

Perhaps life is meant to beat us ragged until we crawl into the presence of God seeking relief. I marvel at the restoration only He can bring.

When life is competing for your attention, I encourage you to stop—run to your special place to sit at His feet. Sit quietly before Him. You will come away renewed and strengthened.

Father, I'm so grateful you are always there, waiting for me to come and drawing near to me in love. Amen.

©2017 Bonnie Mae Evans

A MESSAGE TO MY SON

. . . “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness.”

. . . for when I am weak, then I am strong. 2 Corinthians 12:9b, 10e (NAS) 

Dear son, 

I hope you’re doing okay. Searching for a job is discouraging at times. I also wrestle with it. When I get down and feel like nothing is going to happen, talking to God helps me. I lay it all out—my frustration and how it feels when no one wants to take a chance and hire me. Sometimes I feel sad, discouraged and even angry.  

Then, I take a fresh look at 2 Corinthians 12:9-10. This passage clearly speaks to me, and I hope it will to you. When I am at a low point, I cry out to God for help and strength. 

I claim this promise:  When I am weak, I know He enables me to be strong by the power of Christ dwelling in me. His power is made perfect in my weakness. We can endure anything knowing our Lord is with us in the midst of it. He may not take the difficulty away immediately, but He is with us, and He will bring us out on the other side. We will be changed because we learned to trust Him in the worst of times. Our faith is strengthened because we learned to persevere in a trial. 

This is true for you, too, my son. Our Savior is with you, and He will guide you through this tough time. He will show you, and me, the jobs He has for us. We have both learned to trust God.

Dear Father, be with and strengthen those who are facing hard times.

© 2017 Diane E. Hussey

RESCUERS

The Lord sits enthroned over the flood; may the Lord give strength to his people! May the Lord bless his people with peace! Psalm 29:10a, 11 (RSV)

We have been divided by activist groups, waving their banners, screaming in the streets. We have been divided by our color. We have been divided by our income. But, when the chips are down, when Hurricane Harvey ravaged Texas—we were united. 

We bind together to help rescue all those who are in danger: children, seniors and pets. I saw a soaked little kitten carried in a box. I don’t hear people saying, “I helped seven white people, five black people, twelve seniors.”  I don’t hear anyone saying, “A skinny little white man rescued me from the roof of my garage.” They were helpers with big hearts and strong arms.

People were rescued by helicopters, large flatbed trucks, many boats of various sizes. Fire and Police Departments from different communities, and other states were on the scene. All the workers were volunteers, no one was on the clock. They worked day and night, day after day.

There’s a saying, “United we stand; Divided we fall,” dating back to Aesop. It has been cited from Abraham Lincoln to the terrorist attack of 9/11. When people are in trouble, we unite and come to the rescue.

I didn’t say “Americans” because maybe they weren’t. They were love in action—bound together by seeing a need, joining hands and hearts—filling that need.

God’s hands are all around, through rescue after rescue. With tears, I prayed for them. I learned when my troubles were more than I could stand, I kneel.

Dear Lord, thank You, for all Your helpers. I pray to be considered one of Your workers. Amen

© 2017 Lois Gosley

GIVING IN SECRET

...and thy Father which seeth in secret himself shall reward thee openly. Matthew 6:4b. (KJV)

She sat in the chapel, waiting until the parishioners and the priest left. Her heart raced. She was afraid the priest would come back in and ask her to leave. Once she was assured of being alone, she quietly climbed the altar steps. Her only interest was the torn lace scarf on the mantle.

She found the long tear in the lace. She would use the talent God gave her to repair it. She took the white thread and needle and, working quickly, weaved the thread in and out of the lace as the tear became smaller and smaller.

She was not aware the priest had returned. He stood watching as her hands sewed the fine stitches in the lacework. He moved closer. Then she saw him.

Startled, she stopped sewing and faced him. He stared at her, and nodding slightly, he smiled and left the sanctuary. Heart pounding and hands trembling, she dropped the needle. Picking it up, she continued sewing. Within minutes, she finished mending the lace. She could not tell where the tear had been. It was fully restored. Cutting the thread, she genuflected and left the chapel.

In the cool air, she breathed a sigh of relief and satisfaction. She felt she had done a good deed for the Lord. She would tell no one. God knew. That was enough because she had given her talent in secret, she knew God would openly reward her someday.

Dear Lord, may more Christians think of acts of kindness to bestow on one another as if they were doing it for You. Amen.

© 2017  Evelyn B. Ryan