Remembering that God will help us to face all obstacles

Hudson Taylor – “All God’s giants have been weak people who did great things for God because they reckoned on God being with them.”

As these words began to sink into my mind, I thought of all the 'spiritual giants' in the Bible and realised that Hudson Taylor is right. The reason why they all did great things for the Lord is because they remembered that God was always with them. This doesn't mean that they didn't encounter tough times, but their faith's foundation was built on the promises of God. 

Do you know that God is with you? What stops you believing this?

We note the confidence in young David when he stood up to Goliath. He knew God would deliver him from the hands of the giant. 

"The Lord who rescued me from the claws of the lion and the bear will rescue me from this Philistine!” Saul finally consented. “All right, go ahead,” he said. “And may the Lord be with you!” - 1 Samuel 17:37

Living in Grace

D3LM3

Better than life

"I have seen you in the sanctuary and beheld your power and your glory.

Because your love is better than life, my lips will glorify you." - Psalm 63:2-3

In calling out to God for help David reminds himself (and the Lord) that he has already experience the power and glory of God in the sanctuary. This could be a way of reassuring himself that God is 'alive' and able to make himself known to his people. When you feel all alone and you struggle to see when God will show up, it is good to look back and be reminded that God is always present with us. This can in the temple or in the desert. Anyway, actually. 

Verse 3 is David's way of saying that knowing the unfailing love of God is worth more to him than surviving his current ordeal. This knowledge would allow David to push through the pain of his trials. Or as one author states: 

"Life without God is worse than death itself" (A. Anderson)

Living in Grace

D3LM3

Looking in the wrong place...

I needed to sort something out at the bank today - I thought I was missing something important on one of the documents. So, I went into the bank to see if they could help me and immediately the lady showed me what I was looking for - it had been there all along, but I had been looking in the wrong place the whole time. I have to admit that I was even a little irritated before I went into the bank, because I felt as if the error was from their side. Well, needless to say, I was wrong and had to cover up my embarrassment.

Sometimes we are looking for spiritual things in the wrong places. We think that we need to search 'high' and 'low' for God, but God is already there. Instead of running around trying to find God, why don't you just stop for a moment - breathe in and out - and then read the following Psalm. As you read it keep reminding yourself that God is present with you.

God is our refuge and strength, a tested help in times of trouble. ² And so we need not fear even if the world blows up and the mountains crumble into the sea. ³ Let the oceans roar and foam; let the mountains tremble! ⁴ There is a river of joy flowing through the city of our God—the sacred home of the God above all gods. ⁵ God himself is living in that city; therefore it stands unmoved despite the turmoil everywhere. He will not delay his help. ⁶ The nations rant and rave in anger—but when God speaks, the earth melts in submission and kingdoms totter into ruin. ⁷ The Commander of the armies of heaven is here among us. He, the God of Jacob, has come to rescue us. ⁸ Come, see the glorious things that our God does, how he brings ruin upon the world ⁹ and causes wars to end throughout the earth, breaking and burning every weapon. ¹⁰ “Stand silent! Know that I am God! I will be honored by every nation in the world!” ¹¹ The Commander of the heavenly armies is here among us! He, the God of Jacob, has come to rescue us! - Psalm 46 (Living Bible)

Living in Grace
D3LM3

Divine absence

Do you sometimes feel that God has gone AWOL?
Is there a sense that God is absent from your life?
This feeling is actually common amongst us Christians, but we are not comfortable telling others how we feel and so we carry this burden alone.

In his book, 'Closer than a brother', David Winter reflects on one of Brother Lawrence's letters in which he shares on this topic. This is what he writes:

"It is true that our experience of God's presence varies with intensity. Sometimes, usually when we are busy in our daily work, there are occasions when we become aware of the divine absence - not that God has gone away, but that we have forgotten he is there..."

So, it is clear that the 'divine absence' is not really what is going on, because God is with us always. However, we have shifted our attention away from the things of God for a time and so we have become consumed with our own struggles. Brother Lawrence then suggests a prayer that we can pray, to help us re-establish our 'connection' with God.

"O my God,
Here I am.
All that I am is yours.
Make of me whatever you want."

1 Thessalonians 3:9 - "How we thank God for you! Because of you we have great joy as we enter God’s presence."

Remember that God is with you today, even if you feel that He is absent.

A.W.Tozer - “We need never shout across the spaces to an absent God. He is nearer than our own soul, closer than our most secret thoughts”

Living in Grace
D3LM3

The Lord IS....

I was reminded again this weekend, that God IS present with us. God is not only with us in the past, but he is definitely present with us RIGHT now. You don't have to believe me, just read the number of passages that speak of this truth.

The Lord IS my strength and shield –Psalm 28:6

The Lord IS a warrior; the Lord is his name. – Exodus 15:3

The Lord IS slow to anger, abounding in love  – Numbers 14:18

The angel went to her and said, “Greetings, you who are highly favoured! The Lord is with you.” – Luke 1:28

The Lord is full of compassion and mercy. – James 5:11

(...these are just a few of the almost 200 verses that speak of this truth)

So whatever you are facing today, know that God is with you. God has not abandoned you. God hears your prayers.

"The Lord is near..." - Philippians 4:5b

Living in Grace

D3LM3

Bated breath

Sometimes I think that we have a funny language - English can be a little confusing for people to learn and especially when we have idiom's like: "With bated breath." Some of you are thinking that it should be "baited", but that is not actually correct, yet most people get it wrong.

According to some sources the original use of this phrase goes back to Mr Shakespeare himself. In The Merchant of Venice, he writes:
 “Shall I bend low and, in a bondman’s key, 
With bated breath and whisp’ring humbleness, 
Say this ...”.

Nearly 3 centuries later, Mark Twain used the same phrase in Tom Sawyer:
“Every eye fixed itself upon him; 
with parted lips and bated breath the audience hung upon his words, 
taking no note of time, rapt in the ghastly fascinations of the tale”.

We don't use 'bated' in our English language anymore, but it is a shortened version of the word 'abated', meaning to slow down. So, when we speak of 'bated' breath, we are speaking of slowing down our breathing, or catching our breath. This can be used in the context of being extremely nervous or even very excited.

What's my point in all of this? It is surely not to give anyone an English lesson. This is my point:

When last did find ourselves with 'bated breath' in worship? When last did we find ourselves slowing down our breathing, because we realised we were in the presence of the Almighty God? When was the last time you found yourself unable to breathe just because you sensed God was about to do something amazing?

Perhaps our world has successfully put us onto the treadmill and we can't find the "off" button. Our worship and expectation of the Living God have been sidetracked by other gods.

My prayer is that we would come into the presence of God with breath that is willing to abate - willing to slow down because we recognise we are standing on holy ground.

Job 33:4 -  The Spirit of God has made me; the breath of the Almighty gives me life.

Living in Grace
D3LM3

Coping through change

A lot can change in a short space of time. One day things may be going along fine and the next your whole world can be turned upside down. This can happen in both a positive and a negative sense - good news and bad news can both surprise us, I guess.

As we contemplate today and the future, we can never predict what will happen, but we can be assured of God's presence with us... no matter what. I shared a few verses from Hebrews with the pupils from Maritzburg College this morning, reminding them of this truth. When we place our lives in the hands of Jesus, he promises to be with us.

Hebrews 13:5b-6
"For God has said,

“I will never fail you.
    I will never abandon you.”

⁶ So we can say with confidence,

“The Lord is my helper,
    so I will have no fear.
    What can mere people do to me?”

If you are going through a time of change at the moment, why don't you allow these verses to become a prayer for you. When the Lord is near to us change doesn't have to be so scary.

Living in Grace

D3LM3

Among you

Why don't you try something different when you read this verse? I pray that it helps you to focus on the verse and to allow the Spirit to speak to you.

"For great is the Holy One of Israel who lives among you." - Isaiah 12:6

• Now read it again, but slower.

•  Re-read the verse, but "chop" off the first word of the verse.

• Keep doing this, one word at a time, reading the remainder of the verse.

• Stop when you are left with only 2 words.... "among you!"

Ruminate on these words. Let them sink into your hearts and spirit.
God is among us.
Jesus is Immanuel.
God with us.
Always.

Prayer: Let your prayer now be Isaiah 12:6.

Blessings and Grace
D3LM3

God is here

God is already present in our world, we just need to make the effort to tune into His presence. From Genesis to Revelation, God's spirit has been at work and He will continue to reveal His nature to anyone who pays attention.

I know that our lives are busy, but I challenge you to be more mindful of God today. Look out for the move of His spirit - It may surprise you.

“If you have never known the power of God's love, then maybe it is because you have never asked to know it - I mean really asked, expecting an answer.” - Frederick Buechner

“God, Who is everywhere, never leaves us. Yet He seems sometimes to be present, sometimes to be absent. If we do not know Him well, we do not realize that He may be more present to us when He is absent than when He is present.” - Thomas Merton

Living in Grace
D3LM3

A Pilgrim's Song

One of my favourite Psalms is 121. I read it yesterday from the Message and noticed that Eugene Peterson refers to it as 'The Pilgrim's Song.' I guess I feel like a bit of a Pilgrim today - moving from one Continent to another. However, in truth, we are all Pilgrim's on a journey. We are on a journey of faith, as well as a journey of life. 

I pray that you would know the presence of our Great God as you travel on this journey. Don't ever feel that you are travelling alone. God is with you.

"I look up to the mountains; does my strength come from mountains?
   No, my strength comes from God,
      who made heaven, and earth, and mountains.
He won't let you stumble,
      your Guardian God won't fall asleep.
   Not on your life! Israel's
      Guardian will never doze or sleep.
God's your Guardian,
      right at your side to protect you—
   Shielding you from sunstroke,
      sheltering you from moonstroke.
God guards you from every evil,
      he guards your very life.
   He guards you when you leave and when you return,
      he guards you now, he guards you always"

Live in the presence and power of His Grace,

D3LM3 

God's strength

When we are weak, that’s when God reveals His awesome strength. If you are facing a crisis today, rely on God’s strength to carry you through.

Jeremiah 16:19 – “LORD, my strength and my fortress, my refuge in time of distress...”

Isaiah 63:1 – “Who is this, robed in splendour, striding forward in the greatness of his strength?”

1 Thessalonians 3:2 – “...to strengthen and encourage you in your faith.”

Praying for you.

Living in Grace,

D3LM3

P.S. - There seems to be a problem with Blogger at the moment, so some of the recent posts have been coming out weird - I apologise for this. If I knew how to fix it, I would:)

What would you say?

What would you say to God if you had the chance to meet with him face to face?

Job imagined a conversation with God. This is what he wanted to say:

"If only I knew where to find him;

if only I could go to his dwelling.

I would state my case before him

and fill my mouth with arguments.

I would find out what he would answer me,

and consider what he would say." - Job 23:3-5

So, what would you say?

Living in Grace,

D3LM3

Little Wonders

Every now and again a song makes a big impression on me. I was watching a DVD with my sick kids today and a Rob Thomas song was playing in the background. It was the theme song and it's called "Little Wonders." This is how some of the words go...

"Let it go, let it roll right off your shoulder don't you know the hardest part is over. Let it in, let your clarity define you in the end we will only just remember how it feels. Our lives are made in these small hours these little wonders, these twists & turns of fate time falls away, but these small hours, these small hours still remain Let it slide, let your troubles fall behind you let it shine until you feel it all around you and I don't mind if it's me you need to turn to we'll get by, it's the heart that really matters in the end All of my regret will wash away some how but I can not forget the way I feel right now."

When I read these words in the context of God helping me to 'let things go' and believing that He will deliver us from difficult times, they take on a different meaning. Try it - read these words as if God were speaking 'Life' over your situation.

Be blessed.

Living in Grace
D3LM3

If you have Broadband take a listen to the song here

Is God a dragon?

So, is God a dragon?
It fascinates me that people have used imagery to describe God for thousands of years. Sometimes these images are helpful for us and at other times they seem unreal. Obviously every generation and culture has a different way of relating to God, especially if there are other gods to compete with.

When I read the following words in Psalm 18, I immediately thought of a dragon. Tell me, if you think the same. It just goes to show that we must be careful not to read scripture out of it's context...

"Smoke poured from his nostrils;
fierce flames leaped from his mouth.
Glowing coals blazed forth from him.
He opened the heavens and came down;
dark storm clouds were beneath his feet.
Mounted on a mighty angelic being, he flew
soaring on wings of the wind." - Psalm 18:8-10 (NLT)

What are you thinking? Let me know sometime...

Living in Grace,
D3LM3

If God is for us...

Here is a timely reminder for all of us...

"If God is for us, who can be against us?" - Romans 8:31

Did you read that twice?
Please do.
Remember it.

God be with you.
Living in Grace,
D3LM3

The mist will clear

Have you ever been walking in a forest during a light rain? As you climb higher you get above the mist and drizzle and it is quite surreal to look down upon the rain. If you wait there long enough you may be fortunate enough to see the mist clear and the sun break through.
I experienced this yesterday and it was magical. I felt the Spirit whisper to me:

"The mist will always clear! Trust me when things get difficult, but remember the sun will shine through!"

Maybe this is a message for you too?
The mist will clear for you. Trust in God.

Living in Grace,
D3LM3

The miracle

This is the miracle of Christmas...

“The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel” (which means “God with us”) - Matthew 1:23

God is with us - this is the miracle we must remember throughout our lives.
God is not against us.
God is not above us.
God is not angrily watching us, hoping we fail.
God is not absent from us.

GOD IS WITH US!

May you know God's presence deep in your inner being this Christmas.

Living in Grace,
D3LM3

What's in your name?

We are reminded at Christmas that Jesus' name means 'The Lord saves'(from Joshua) or 'God with us' (Immanuel). These meanings speak powerfully into our lives and offer us hope and encouragement.

But have you ever considered the meaning of your name and whether that speaks about your life? Do you live into your name or do you find there is no connection between the meaning and your life?

My name means, 'someone who comes from the sea.' I can honestly say I love the ocean and I feel more 'myself' when I am there. Does this mean anything - I am not sure?! But worth thinking about though!

Tell me what your name means - I'd love to know your story.

Living in Grace,
D3LM3

Besides yourself

Under times of great emotional stress people use the phrase, "I was beside myself!" Now, at first glance this seems such a weird thing to say. How can we physically be "next to" ourselves? In truth, we can't! However, there are times when we are so stressed that it feels as if our soul and body are in two separate places.

This is where the phrase originates - ancient Greeks believed that under intense pressure a persons soul left their body and settled 'besides' themselves. Check this out if you don't believe me.

So this Advent season let's try not to be 'besides ourselves' - let us rather remember that God walks with us and that God will give us the strength we need to enjoy this festive season. I'd rather have God besides me, than my 'soul' leaving my body:)
But that's just me!

Living in Grace
D3LM3

Day and Night

"By day the Lord directs his love,
at night his song is with me -
a prayer to the God of my life." - Psalm 42:8

Just in case you had forgotten - God is directing his love towards you in the 'daylight' moments of your life and God will comfort you when you go through the periods of darkness.

You'd better believe it:)

Living in Grace,
D3LM3