Truths for Troublesome Times -1

The LORD is near to all who call on Him, to all who call out to Him in truth.

Psalm 145:18

During this time of concern over the dangers of the coronavirus there has been much said about the virus, and about what we should do.

The purpose of this blog is not to discuss the coronavirus but to turn our focus, our hearts, our minds and our souls to God, Yahweh, the great I AM, the Creator and Sustainer of all life. 

Presented here are words of truth, words of wisdom, words of life and power, presented ages ago through the inspiration of the Spirit of God.

As we review these truths let us remember that they were spoken within a certain context to a specific group of people, yet they reveal absolute truths about the character of God and His love for us both of which remain the same yesterday, today and tomorrow. These truths can be depended upon in today.

•       Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever. Hebrews 13:8
•       “In the beginning, Lord, you laid the foundations of the earth, and the heavens are the work of your hands. They will perish, but you remain. . .  like a garment they will be changed. But you remain the same, and your years will never end.” Hebrews 1:10-12
  
  

Read these truths slowly and with much thought. Meditate on them. Think about how these truths bring peace and hope to you at this time. Share these truths to encourage the faith and hope of others. Take them into your heart; meditate; believe and share.

Our Help Comes from the LORD

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. Psalm 121:1-2

God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in times of trouble. Psalm 46:1

The LORD is a refuge for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble. Psalm 9:9

But I will sing of Your strength and proclaim Your loving devotion in the morning. For You are my fortress, my refuge in times of trouble. Psalm 59:16

God Is Faithful

Though I walk in the midst of trouble, you preserve my life; you stretch out your hand against the wrath of my enemies, and your right hand delivers me. The Lord will fulfill his purpose for me; your steadfast love, O Lord, endures forever.  Do not forsake the work of your hands. Psalm 138:7-8

For the LORD is good, and His loving devotion endures forever; His faithfulness continues to all generations. Psalm 100:5

He will cover you with His pinions, And under His wings you may seek refuge; His faithfulness is a shield and bulwark. Psalm 91:4

For the Word of the Lord is upright, and all His work is done in faithfulness. Psalm 33:4 

If we are faithless, He remains faithful, for He cannot deny Himself. 2 Timothy 2:13 

Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the LORD his God, the Maker of heaven and earth, the sea, and everything in them. He remains faithful forever… Psalm 146:5-6

Praise the Lord, all you nations; extol him, all you peoples. For great is his love toward us, and the faithfulness of the Lord endures forever. Praise the Lord. Psalm 117:1-2

God’s Proven Faithfulness and Love

But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.  Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God’s wrath through him!  For if, while we were God’s enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life! Romans 5:8-10

But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us,  even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. Ephesians 2:4-7

But because Jesus lives forever, He has a permanent priesthood. Therefore He is able to save completely those who draw near to God through Him, since He always lives to intercede for them. Hebrews 7:24-25

Food for Thought - Food for Life

There are many truths about God that we can draw strength and life from during this time. We will review more in the days to come. But take your time with these few and let their power work in your mind and heart. 

The media of this world will provide much content for you to read, listen to and think about. Do not allow that communication to wash over you and be your focus. 

Instead let these truths from God fill you. Let these truths live in you and be your sustenance during these days.

“Send out Your light and Your truth; let them lead me. Let them bring me to Your holy mountain, and to the place where You dwell.” Psalm 43:3

Truths for Troublesome Times -2

When life gets difficult or painful, I can turn aside from God instead of leaning into Him. In trying times I begin to ask, “Where are you God?”  I can even blame God and say, “This is your fault God.”  When things hurt or become confusing, secretly, I may even think, “God does not love me.”

All these thoughts are very far from the truth. Emotions like anger and fear can block our minds to considering truth or lead us into shallow thinking.

We do not have to be academically gifted to understand the truth of God’s love. We only need to think with a grain of faith of what we know about God and we will see His love.

I love Romans 5:10 and 8:32. Think deeply about what these verses are really saying about God and His love for us.

• “We were God's enemies, but he made us his friends through the death of his Son. Now that we are God's friends, how much more will we be saved by Christ's life!” NLT
• "He who did not spare His own Son but gave Him up for us all, how will He not also, along with Him, freely give us all things?" Romans 8:32 (BSB)

In these passages, I hear God reminding us that He has already given His highest and best. He suffered His Son, Jesus to put on flesh and blood to become the sacrifice that atones for our wrongs, so that we can have a relationship with God. He will provide everything we need within that relationship.

The truth is that God gave His Son, Jesus to die for us. Since He did this we then are assured of the second truth that He will provide for us and be faithful to care for us in all things. It does not mean everything will be easy and comfortable the way we think, but it does mean that He will be with us at all times and provide us with what we need.

Presented in this blog are truths about God’s love and presence in our life. Take these into your heart and let them encourage your faith at all times, but most especially in these insecure times.

God Is Personally Involved in Our Lives
It is true, there are times that I wonder what is happening. I may feel so fearful or discouraged that I wonder, “Where is God?” If I take time to read God’s word I can know He is here with me even when I don’t see evidence of it.

• Psalm 56:8- You keep track of all my sorrows.You have collected all my tears in your bottle. You have recorded each one in your book.
• Psalm 139:16-You saw me before I was born. Every day of my life was recorded in your book. Every moment was laid out before a single day had passed.
• Psalm 34:17- When the righteous cry for help, the Lord hears and delivers them out of all their troubles. The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit
• Romans 8:28 – And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.
• Matthew 10:29-31- Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground outside your Father’s care. And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered.  So don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.
• John 10:3 -To him (Jesus) the gatekeeper opens. The sheep hear his voice, and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out.
• John 10:14, 15 - I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me—just as the Father knows me and I know the Father—and I lay down my life for the sheep.
• Psalm 139:1-5 - O Lord, you have searched me and known me! You know when I sit down and when I rise up;you discern my thoughts from afar. You search out my path and my lying down and are acquainted with all my ways. Even before a word is on my tongue, behold, O Lord, you know it altogether. You hem me in, behind and before, and lay your hand upon me.
• John 17:20-23 - I do not ask for these only, but also for those who will believe in me through their word, that they may all be one, just as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me. The glory that you have given me I have given to them, that they may be one even as we are one,  I in them and you in me, that they may become perfectly one, so that the world may know that you sent me and loved them even as you loved me.

Making His Presence Real in Your Life
My view of life is so far from God’s. That may be because my focus can too often be on my “self.” Read these truths about God and his involvement in your life. Consider each one carefully. Meditate on each passage.

Ask yourself:

• What is the “personal” action(s), attitude(s) or thought(s) of God in each one of these scriptures?
• Then, ask yourself, how do I see God doing this, being this in my life?
• Examine your heart, your faith, events/relationships in your life. What are the weak points? Where do you need to pray for strengthening?
• Pick one of these areas of your faith and write down ways that these truths about God’s heart for you and his presence in your life can strengthen that area.

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Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, 
for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. Ps. 23:4

Truths for Troublesome Times - 3

God Eyes Us with Value

Deuteronomy 32:10 describes God as keeping Jacob (Israel) as the “apple of His eye.” 

“He found him in a desert land, and in the howling waste of the wilderness;
He encircled him, He cared for him, He kept him as the apple of His eye.”

When looking at the context of this expression “apple of His eye”, we see in the previous verse (v. 9 ), the writer is referring to Jacob or the people of Israel. 

“But the Lord's portion is his people, Jacob His allotted heritage.”

So what does this have to do with us today? Putting aside the context and the people to whom this was spoken of in time, it reveals a truth about the heart of God –which remains the same. 

The expression in verse 10 is set among words of love and nurturing such as: God’s finding; encircling, protecting, caring, and maybe even wrapping His arms around them.

All these words have to do with care and nurturing. It implies God’s watchful care and does not imply judgment, as in an all seeing eye watching you. It indicates that God values His people and centers His attention on them much like a doting parent.

A Truth to Hold Onto

The expression “apple of His eye” refers to the pupil of the eye, the center of the eye, and implies God keeps us at the center of His focus. 

This expression is not just a poetic description, it is a truth about God. He holds us at the center of where He can see us, and focuses on us because He values us. He looks upon us with eyes and a heart to care for us.  

This expression indicates a permanent truth about God’s character, so it applies to us today as God’s people. We see this idea presented in 1 Peter 3:12a: 

      “For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and His ears are inclined to their   prayer…"

There are days when I do not feel especially valued. Sometimes I feel forgotten or overlooked, even hurt. There are times when I feel overlooked by God, especially when I feel alone, or confused, or afflicted. 

Maybe you have had those times too? Struggles in life, disappointments in relationships, and weaknesses in our own character can discourage our spirit and blur our thinking about ourselves and God. I know I can get my thoughts and emotions in a tangle of untrue thoughts about myself; about other people, and about God.

Times of crisis in our life cause fear, doubt and inward turning.  Tosay we are in a worldwide crisis, that affects all of us and each one of us. Our lives and security are threatened by a virus. We may wonder, “Where is God? Does God care?” 

I believe God cares. God knows and God is working in ways that are not apparent to us at this time. 

Truths like the one stated in Deuteronomy 32:10 reveal God’s character and heart towards us. In “down” times we need to recall this truth and let it renew our thinking, untangle our thoughts and encourage our spirit.

We are God’s beloved; we are God’s people (1 Peter 2:9). God has this heightened sense of value towards you and me. He is watching and standing ready to defend  us; to help us; to teach us, and to refine us.

A Prayer

In closing this, let's consider this thought in Psalm 17:8, David prays and asks God to “keep him as the apple of His eye.”

I wonder how our outlook and relationship with God would change if we prayed: “Lord, keep me as the apple of your eye. Open my eyes and help me to see your love, Father God.” Perhaps, also, we could add to it, “Teach me how to treat others as if they were the “apple of Your eye.”