Dear Precious Friends,
On this beautiful new day, this Fill our Soul Sunday, this gift from God, I pray you are embracing time with the Lord, hearing great teaching from a Bible based Holy Spirit filled Pastor and taking extra time to BE STILL AND KNOW THAT HE IS GOD...
I am sharing one of my favorite most beautiful places on the planet that just happens to be right here in South Carolina. This beautiful chapel is called "Pretty Place." It's known as Fred W. Symmes Chapel (also known as "Pretty Place" because of its amazing view) 7 is one of the many buildings that make up YMCA Camp Greenville. It is about 10 miles from Hendersonville.
When you walk up you can feel the incredible presence of God. I ended up taking my parents ashes here this year because my Mom loved it here so much.
The incredible scripture written on the top as you walk in is such a great reminder of what we must remember today & every day! No matter what is happening around us, we are called to step up in our faith and remember where our help comes from. God shakes things up to loosen what needs to be loosen. For God to bring us to a new season, we have to walk through difficult things so God can grow our faith. God allows disorder, discomfort and all the difficulties life brings to grow our faith. What do we do when the trials come? Do we look at the trial or do we look at God and trust Him knowing He is in control?
Where do we lift our eyes? God tests our faith to bring us to a new season. When God is ready to do a new thing in our lives have you noticed he shakes things up!
What feelings have the outbreak of the coronavirus variant evoked in us? Do we feel cautious, worried, or fearful—or even panicky, like the many people who rushed to stock up on groceries and other supplies at the supermarkets recently again?
Many of us know of a loved one or friend who may have contracted the COVID-19 variant virus? How have we as Christians responded? People look to us for our faith and even cry out to us to pray for them even though they can pray to the same God but they think we have extra power that they don't have... When we have Jesus we have incredible power... We have the Holy Spirit, we have Resurrection Power. We have to stand firm in our faith. We must remember where our help comes from! My Friends, we are called for such a time as this to show our faith and walk out our faith.
For such a time as this, what has helped me greatly are the words of Psalm 121:1–2:
I lift up my eyes to the mountains—where does my help come from?My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth.
As the psalmist asked the question, “Where does my help come from?”, he saw the resounding answer: “My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth.”
Perhaps you too are facing afflictions in your life, be it fears about the coronavirus outbreak, personal health issues, or tragic news affecting a loved one or a dear friend.
Psalm 121:1–2 remind us that we can keep looking to the Lord for help. He understands our fears and worries, and is in control. As believers, we can wake up each day to God’s assuring word in Lamentations 3:22-23 (NLT):
The faithful love of the Lord never ends! His mercies never cease. Great is his faithfulness. His mercies begin afresh each morning.
May we begin each day remembering and rejoicing that God’s mercy is given anew to us.
The main takeaway I want to give you all today is simply to take your disappointments (and whatever else you may be feeling) to the Father. Climb up in his lap. Bury your face in his chest, and cry out. Feel. Do not let numbness take over. Do not throw yourself into works to keep yourself from feeling. Do not put on a false self. God is good with us in our tantrums and traumas. He is a perfect father who knows exactly how to care for you, His child.
God wants to lift our hanging head. He wants to strengthen our bones and fill our spirit with hope for right now and tomorrow. But you will miss it if we turn to other things and avoid our pain. God is still in control. He is still good. And he has things he wants to speak specifically to us for this moment in time.
What do we do with any disappointment we have today you may ask????
It's clear!
“I lift up my eyes to the hills. From where does my help come? My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth. He will not let your foot be moved; he who keeps you will not slumber. Behold, he who keeps Israel will neither slumber nor sleep. The Lord is your keeper; the Lord is your shade on your right hand. The sun shall not strike you by day, nor the moon by night. The Lord will keep you from all evil; he will keep your life. The Lord will keep your going out and your coming in from this time forth and forevermore.” –Psalm 121
Father, You know our fears and afflictions.
Thank You for Your promise of new mercies every morning,
that we can keep looking to You, the Maker of heaven and earth,
for help, comfort, and assurance.
AMEN.
