O Love that will not let me go,
I rest my weary soul in thee;
I give thee back the life I owe,
That in thine ocean depths its flow
May richer, fuller be.

O light that followest all my way,
I yield my flickering torch to thee;
My heart restores its borrowed ray,
That in thy sunshine’s blaze its day
May brighter, fairer be.

O Joy that seekest me through pain,
I cannot close my heart to thee;
I trace the rainbow through the rain,
And feel the promise is not vain,
That morn shall tearless be.

O Cross that liftest up my head,
I dare not ask to fly from thee;
I lay in dust life’s glory dead,
And from the ground there blossoms red
Life that shall endless be.

- George Matheson

I find these quotes comforting.  Not solely for their content, but the identity of the person who thought/penned them:

“The burden is too heavy for me.”

– Moses, Numbers 11:14

“Life’s been nothing but trouble and tears”

– Jeremiah, Jeremiah 20:18

“How long must I wrestle with my thoughts and
day after day have sorrow in my heart?”

– David, Psalm 13:2

“When anxiety was great within me,
your consolation brought me joy.”

– Psalmist, Psalm 94:19

I didn’t share my “GO TO” then, but the one that I would have shared is:

He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart.  Psalm 91:4

I know there are tons of Psalms that speak of God’s help, faithfulness, and love in times of trouble; but this one has always seemed to remind me that HE is great, mighty, strong, and powerful and I am small, truly powerless, and dependent on Him for everything (protection, etc).

It’s one thing to say He protects - how much more to say He protects and is faithful !  We have so many examples of things or people that  protect, but NONE are completely faithful like God (if we are truly honest).

What’s your “GO TO” Psalm?

He posted:

“Starting in ministry, I fretted we had the meaning but missed the experience. Now I fret that we have the experience but miss the meaning.”

Those two sentences certainly could fill at least a couple of posts in and of themselves, and are are actually two fears that not only people in ministry experience, but those who work in non-ministry jobs.

Quite honestly, when I first read his post, my mind read “fettered” instead of “fretted.”  Immediately, my mind went to the song, Come Thou Fount:

Let Thy goodness, like a fetter,
Bind my wandering heart to Thee.

How often we dwell on our fear (fret), when God has so clearly promised to provide, care for, protect, guide, … [fill in the blank] us as His adopted children.  All He asks is that we surrender to him – fetter our lives to Him.  Since I was reading Matthew last night, this is fresh in my mind:

But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.  Matthew 6:33-34

This “fret” / “fetter” thing, reminded me of a post a wrote while back about fear…re-posted below:

False Fear Fosters Frail Followers of our Forever-Faithful Heavenly Father

[That was fun to say wasn’t it! Feel free to say if again a few times before reading on...]

So I was preparing for a meeting recently and – quite honestly – was a little nervous…OK, afraid (but in a macho way, dude!).  Maybe you’ve been there… maybe not with a meeting; but hey, everyone get’s nervous! Not that I wasn’t or wouldn’t be prepared – I had and was taking the steps to get ready – that was not the issue.

The issue was a fear or nervousness about who I was meeting with – the person and their title is not really relevant, though it was a representative from the US Government (who, BTW are always “here to help”…just kidding, I have many friends in the government!  If you’re reading this and you are with the Government – you ROCK!). Anyway…the key here was the fact that I was getting worked up over this and letting it impact my morning. I don’t want to make light of this, preparation is key for anything and nervousness is good in some forms, but misplaced fear can be stifling.

I am a huge fan of the Our Daily Bread resource and the reading that particular day was based on Hebrews 13:5-16 (which was the scripture passage). The verse I keyed on was verse 5: “The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?” – really a quote from Psalm 118:6.

WHAT AN AWESOME PASSAGE ABOUT AN AWESOME GOD!!!

It brought to mind a song by Brian Doerksen that really ministered to me in a HUGE way a few years ago. I was interviewing for a job (a six month, 15+ session process!) and was constantly nervous and fearful each time I met with, at times, up to 5 people in one fail swoop. I made it a practice of (of course) praying with my wife before each meeting but also listening to this song on my way to the meeting (even humming it in my head during and between appointments) – just to remind and reassure myself of Who my confidence and assurance were based in.

There are many things that we are fearful, nervous, or cautious about – some things are good, prudent, and perfectly correct in that they are for our safety and security (Hey, I’m not crazy!). But how many times have we let: “False Fear Foster Frail Followers of our Forever-Faithful Heavenly Father?”  How many times has Satan stifled our courage for Christ with fear that is truly false?  How many times have we cowered (whether inwardly or even outwardly) with fear unnecessarily?  I by no means have mastered this – probably never will this side of heaven – but thank God that His promises are TRUE!

By the way, a healthy fear of our awesome, powerful, and loving God is certainly a good and right thing…and a good subject for another post!

Be  encouraged and know that:

Correct Courage Cultivates a Capable Cohort for our
Continually-Constant and Risen Christ!

[OK - I'm just having too much fun!]

x

You Shine
Brian Doerksen

Why should I fear man, when You made the heavens?
Why should I be afraid, when You put the stars in place?
Why should I lose heart, when I know how great you are?
Why should I give up, when Your plans are full of love?

In this world we will have trouble,
But You have overcome the world!
You Shine, brighter than the brightest star!
Your Love, purer than the purest heart!
You Shine, filling us with courage and strength
To follow You!

x

PS: “In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” -Jesus (John 16:33)

HE NEVER CHANGES! HE IS THE SAME
YESTERDAY, TODAY, AND FOREVER!

While I can’t recall a specific example right now, I’m sure there were times growing up when I was afraid to do something, but my dad said “Dennis, trust me.” When I remained afraid, I’m sure he was frustrated, but he still assured me that it was OK – “Dennis, trust ME.” I’m sure in my heart I knew that he had my safety and security in mind, but still…“Dad, I’m afraid!”

So, after much prodding, I probably begrudgingly did it and I’m sure I got hurt or it didn’t “go right” a time or two – but my dad’s love and care never ceased…even when I may have thought, “Wait a second!”

How much more is our Heavenly Father
trustworthy, caring, and constantly on our side!

HOW MUCH MORE…

“If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!” Matthew 7:11

I understand that many may not have good memories of their earthly father…hurtful, neglecting, absent, abusive…the list goes on. Memories which can often mar and distort the view of our Heavenly Father. That is sadly the reality of the fallen world we live in.

However, our Heavenly Father is Perfect, the embodiment of a kind of LOVE that is far beyond our comprehension, and worthy of our trust.  His Word assures us of this:

“…For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” Jeremiah 29:10-11

“Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the LORD your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.” Deuteronomy 31:6

So, is God trying to get you to do something?  Is the “stuff” in life clouding or causing you to doubt His providence, care or protection?

“Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith…” Hebrews 12:2

I love the lyrics of this Phil Joel song (from his The New Normal CD) and how they communicate Perfect Assurance…from our Perfecter.

As His child, God is saying to you:

x

You Belong To Me
Phil Joel

I am yours, you are Mine
This is what you need to know in these uneasy times
Talk to Me. You don’t need to hide
The atmosphere is changing but you are still My child.
Listen:

you belong to Me
you belong to Me
you belong to Me
you belong to Me

I see the rain on your face
Though the stars may rage around
You are safe in My embrace
You are strong, it may be hard to see
There is more than meets the eye here behind the scenes
Do not fear. Let faith arise.

you belong to Me
you belong to Me
you belong to Me
you belong to Me

Let Me whisper to your heart
Into your heart
Lift your hands and I know that you are breathing
Lift your head let Me know that you’re alive

you belong to Me
you belong to Me