STRESSFUL DAYS

S-T-R-E-S-S

This is a word that ALL of us can relate to, it is something we live with almost daily. Yet there are times when it becomes almost unbearable, one weight pressing in on another....one crisis following another. We long desperately to escape, yet there seems to be nowhere to run.

How do YOU deal with stress?

Maybe you are like the wife from the movie "O Brother Where Art Thou" whose husband said she just "Runn oft"....

Or maybe you are like Jenny from the movie "Forest Gump" who prayed "Dear God, make me a bird so I can fly away...far, far away!"

Scarlett O'Hara from "Gone with the Wind" had another method of dealing with her many stresses. She said "I won't think about that today. I'll think about that tomorrow".

The psalmist, David, surely knew a little something about stress when he penned these words "My heart is sore pained within me and the terrors of death are fallen upon me. Fearfulness and trembling are come upon me and horror hath overwhelmed me. And I said 'Oh that I had wings like a dove! for then would I fly away and be at rest." Psalm 55:4-6 (Sounds a little like Forest' Jenny, doesn' t it?)

Still others turn to alcohol, drugs, sex, and other avenues of relief.

There are really only two places you can go for true stress relief...to the Lord Himself in prayer and to His Word.

Just listen to a few verses from the Book of Psalms:

"Why art thou cast down, O my soul? and why are thou disquieted within me? Hope in God; for I shall yet praise Him who is the health of my countenance and my God." Psalm 43: 5

"God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear though the earth be removed and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea." Psalm 46:1,2

"Be pleased O Lord to deliver me; O Lord make haste to help me!" Psalm 40:13

"Why art thou cast down, O my soul? And why art thou disquieted within me; hope in God for I shall yet praise Him for the help of his countenance...yet the Lord will command his lovingkindness [toward me] in the daytime and in the night his song shall be with me and my prayer [shall be] unto the God of my life." Psalm 42: 5, 8.

Yes, David certainly knew where to take his stress, didn't he?

We can take our stress to the Lord on our knees, also, for no one knows us like He does. No one cares for us like He does. No one understands the depths of our sorrow, our hurt, our anxiety, our fears, our disappointments or our struggles like He does.

We may share some of our problems with our friends or family and they will do their best to help. But there is no greater friend than Jesus for He knows us like no other and He loves us like no other.

If you find yourself stressed today, I pray that the words to this old familiar hymn will remind you where to go and that there, on your knees, you will find the peace and rest your soul longs for.

WHAT A FRIEND WE HAVE IN JESUS

What a friend we have in Jesus,

all our sins and griefs to bear!

What a privilege to carry

everything to God in prayer!

O what peace we often forfeit,

O what needless pain we bear,

all because we do not carry

everything to God in prayer.

Have we trials and temptations?

Is there trouble anywhere?

We should never be discouraged;

take it to the Lord in prayer.

Can we find a friend so faithful

who will all our sorrows share?

Jesus knows our every weakness;

take it to the Lord in prayer

Are we weak and heavy laden,

cumbered with a load of care?

Precious Savior, still our refuge;

take it to the Lord in prayer.

Do thy friends despise, forsake thee?

Take it to the Lord in prayer!

In his arms he'll take and shield thee;

thou wilt find a solace there.

---Joseph Scriven

MY GOD

There is something so comforting to me about the words "MY GOD". 'My' is a personal pronoun denoting ownership. God is the God of the universe, the Creator of all things, the Sustainer, the One and Only God....holy, righteous, infinite, eternal, the Alpha and Omega, the King of kings and Lord of lords. I am His and He is mine!!!!!!!!!!!

David wrote throughout the Psalms about his God. Though he was in the pit many times throughout scripture and lamented long and loud of his condition, he always came back to the one central point...God was his God and that is where his hope rested.

Listen to him and see if you do not find yourself in these verses:

"Innumerable evils have compassed me about; mine iniquities have taken hold upon me so that I am not able to look up; they are more than the hairs of my head; therefore my heart fails me. Be pleased, O Lord, to deliver me, O Lord, make haste to help me. Withhold not your tender mercies from me; let you lovingkindness and your truth continually preserve me." Psalm 40: 12, 13, 11

"Why art thou cast down, O my soul? Why art thou disquieted within me? Hope thou in God. I shall yet praise him for the help of His countenance." Psalm 42: 5

"Yet the Lord will command his lovingkindness in the daytime and in the night his song shall be with me and my prayer shall be to the God of my life." Psalm 42: 8

"Why art thou cast down, O my soul? Why art thou disquieted with in me? Hope thou in God; for I shall yet praise him who is the health of my countenance and MY GOD." Psalm 42: 11

"For thou art the God of my strength...why do I go mourning because of the oppression of the enemy? O send out thy light and thy truth; let them lead me; let them bring me unto thy holy hill and to thy tabernacles. Then will I go unto the altar of God, unto God MY EXCEEDING JOY!.....Why art thou cast down O my soul? Why art thou disquieted within me? Hope in God for I shall praise him who is the health of my countenance and MY GOD!" Psalm 43: 2-5

If you find yourself in a pit today, if your soul is cast down...realize that your hope...your only hope...is found in God. Not just a god or any god, but in your GOD, the God of your salvation. If you know Him, he is yours...he is nearer than breathing, closer than hands and feet. If you don't know him, I'd love to share with you how you can. (You may contact me through the CONTACT button below)

PRAYING SCRIPTURE

Some years back I was taught how to pray scripture. We always want to be sure that we are praying in God's will and when we pray scripture we can be sure that we are doing that (providing that you do not take it out of context).

As I've taught Bible study the last couple of years, and in just conversation with other believers, I've realized that there are many people who do NOT know how to do this. They have never been exposed to it, just as I had not for many years. So in thinking about that today, I'd like to share a few verses that are favorites of mine and show you HOW to do that.

Let's start with some really easy ones that you can pray for yourself:

Psalm 27:11 "Teach me your way O Lord and lead me in a plain path". David phrased this one so perfectly you do not even have to change the wording! There are many verses like this that you can take and just quote David or the author verbatim and make it YOUR personal prayer.

Here is another one like that....Psalm 30: 10 "Hear, O Lord, and have mercy upon me...be my helper!"

Here are some you can pray for your children (be sure to insert YOUR child's name in the blank):

REGARDING THEIR SPEECH: "Lord, would you keep ____ 's tongue from evil and his lips from speaking perversely? Help him to depart evil and do good." Psalm 34: 13, 14

REGARDING BAD COMPANY: "Lord, would you protect _________ and keep her from those who are seeking to draw her away from you? Would you 'let them be confounded and put to shame that seek after her soul; let them be turned back and brought to confusion that seek her hurt....may the angel of the Lord chase them away!" Psalm 35: 4, 5b

GOING THROUGH A ROUGH TIME: "O God...in the multitude of thy mercy would you hear me? Deliver ________ out of the mire... do not allow her to sink; cause her to be delivered from [this situation]. Please do not allow her to be overcome by this. Hear her prayers O Lord, for your lovingkindness is good; turn to her according to the multitude of your tender mercies and do not hide your face from her for she is in trouble and she needs you to hear her quickly!" Psalm 69: 13-17 You will notice that I did change a few words in this verse, but I did not change the meaning. Instead of saying "do not let the deep swallow her up and let not the pit shut her mouth upon her", I said 'do not allow her to be overcome by this'. Same difference, just more appropriate to what you are praying. Most of you are not going to be praying about a child in the deep or a pit (hopefully), but it is referencing a situation in which one is about to drown.

DIRECTION: "Help ____ to refrain his feet from every evil way that he might be able to keep your word." Psalm 119: 101

SPIRITUAL GROWTH: "Father would you grant ________ according to the riches of your glory to be strengthened with might by your Spirit in the inner man; may Christ dwell in her heart by faith; [and may she] be rooted and grounded in love and be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth and to know the love of Christ which passes all knowledge and be filled with all the fulness of God." Now can you imagine praying THAT prayer for your child or grandchild every day? Is there anything in that God would not want you to pray? I think not. You are praying HIS word directly back to Him. It is a powerful tool.

I hope this has given you a glimpse of how praying scripture can enhance your prayer life. And, I hope it will motivate you to want to give it a try. Psalms is the easiest place to start. Won't you try a few verses today as you kneel before the Lord. I promise, you will be blessed!

TREASURES OF DARKNESS (cont)

One of the worst things about being in a pit is that you are so alone. You seldom enter a pit with someone else. Even if you are going through a difficult time with your husband or wife or child, you are each in your own private pit.

No two people experience troubled times exactly the same. That is one reason families who go through tragedy are often pulled apart. One may be dealing with grief while the other is experiencing anger. Neither can understand the other. They are both crying out for understanding and help from each other, but are oblivious to the other’s pain.

Yes, the pit is a lonely place to be. David knew something of this loneliness:

O Lord God of my salvation, I have cried day and night before thee…

for my soul is full of troubles and my life draws near to the grave.
Thou has laid me in the lowest pit, in darkness, in deeps.
Thou hast put away my acquaintances far from me,
I am shut up and cannot come forth….(Psalm 88: 1, 6, 8)

I cried unto the Lord with my voice, with my voice I made
Supplication unto the Lord. I poured out my complaint before Him
I showed him my trouble….
I looked on my right hand and behold, there was no man that would
Know me; refuge failed me…no man cared for my soul…..
Bring my soul out of prison that I may praise Thy name! (Psalm 142 1-2, 5)

Sometimes the hurt you are facing is so deep and so personal, you cannot share it with anyone. In those times, you are so alone. God is the ONLY one you can go to, the only one you can pour out your complaint to. You long for someone to come alongside you, to help bear the awesome burden you are feeling, but alas, you cannot. You are alone in this pit of yours and you feel as if you will never again see the light of day.

It’s in those times that you must remember you are NOT alone. God is there right in the middle of the pit with you. The treasure He gives to you in those circumstances is Himself. He has promised never to leave you or to forsake you. He will come to you and He will comfort you like no person ever could. He will feed you with his Word. He will sustain you moment by moment.

Recently a well known Christian musician, Stephen Curtis Chapman and his family, experienced a terrible tragedy when their 16 year old son accidentally killed their 5 year old adopted daughter in a driveway accident. This family knows what it’s like to be in the pit. Each of them is hurting, each of them is suffering their own private grief and pain. In an interview with Larry King, Mary Beth Chapman said that she was making it "moment by moment". She said she woke every morning and asked God to get her through THAT day. And He has. He will continue to help them as they deal with the pain of this huge loss in their lives. He will be there to help their son to heal and to forgive himself. He will be their treasure in this unfathomable darkness.

"Fear not for I have redeemed thee, I have called you by name, thou art MINE!
When you pass through the waters, I will be with you…
And through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee…
When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned;
Neither shall the flame kindle upon thee….
For I AM the Lord THY God, the Holy One of Israel,
YOUR SAVIOR!!
You are precious in my sight." (Isaiah 43: 1-4)

Have you experinced Treasures of Darkness in your life? If so, I'd love to hear from you. Please leave your stories by way of the comment button below.

OPEN LETTER TO MR. AND MRS. OBAMA

Dear Mr. and Mrs. Obama:

In yesterday's newspaper I read some statements that the two of you have recently made and I fear that you have been misinformed. As I am sure that neither of you would want to mislead the American people, I felt it was my duty as a citizen to see that you received the TRUTH.

In the New York Times, William Kristol quoted you, Mrs. Obama, as saying "Barack knows that at some level there's a hole in our souls". Now so far you are right on track, but then he quotes you at another time with this variation to that statement "Obama is the only person in this race who understands that, that before we can work on the problems, we have to fix our souls. Our souls are broken in this nation." Herein lies the problem.

You see, Mrs. Obama, you are absolutely right that there is a hole in the soul of man. More accurately, there is a void in the heart of everyone who is born....a God-shaped void. Man is incapable of filling that hole. No, Mr. Obama, not even you can "fix our souls"! That is something only God can do.

Unfortunately, Mr. and Mrs. Obama, you have bought into the lie of our culture that says it's all about MAN. But let me tell you what our creator, God, has to say about that :

"By the word of the Lord were the heavens made [not man] and all the host of them by the breath of his mouth. He gathered the waters of the sea together as a heap; he lays up the depth in storehouses. Let all the earth fear the Lord, let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of Him [not of Obama]. For HE spoke and it was done [don't think you can top that, sir]; he commanded and it stood fast. " Psalm 33:6-9 (KJV)

Now this next part is very important because the Psalmist is trying to get your attention and give you a warning. I hope you will listen (and you might want to also pass this on to your good friend, Oprah):

"The Lord HIMSELF brings the counsel of the heathen to nought; he makes the devices of the people to none effect. The counsel of the Lord stands FOREVER, the thoughts of His heart to all generations. BLESSED IS THE NATION WHOSE GOD IS THE LORD [no matter who is president] and the people whom He has chosen for his own inheritance." Psalm 33 10-12 (KJV)

"Behold the eye of the Lord is upon them that fear Him [not those who campaign or vote for Obama], upon them who hope in His mercy; to deliver their soul from death [He alone has control over our souls] and to keep them alive...Our soul waits for the Lord; HE is our help [not Obama...or any other candidate for that matter] and our shield. For our heart shall trust in Him because we have trusted in His holy name." Psalm 33: 18-21(KJV)

You see, Mr. Obama, you may be the leading Democratic candidate for the presidency of the United States. You may be running a slick campaign and charming millions of people with your promises of "change", but be clear about one thing, YOU CANNOT FIX THE SOULS OF MAN! Only God can do that. No amount of money or prestige or charisma can do that. No matter how educated you are, no matter how polished you are, no matter who you know or how much influence you may wield, God is the ONLY one who can fix a man's soul.

Since you were apparently deceived about this, it stands to reason that you have not allowed HIM to fix YOUR soul. But He loves you and He desires to do that. He died for you both, Mr. and Mrs. Obama, and He offers you both the gift of eternal life....no strings attached. I hope that you will give your hearts to Him today and allow HIM to fill that hole in your souls. He is, after all, the only One who can.

PREPARING FOR BATTLE

In an earlier post I spoke of going to Camp David and promised to share more verses from Psalms. Got a little off track, so today I'd like to share a few more of those treasures from the Psalms.

R. A. Torrey wrote " The reason why many fail in battle is because they wait until the hour of battle. The reason why others succeed is because they have gained their victory on their knees long before the battle came...Anticipate your battles; fight them on your knees before temptation comes, and you will always have victory."

Are you facing any battles this week? If so, I urge you to go to your knees and spend time with the Lord. Then go to Camp David and seek out encouragement and "ammunition" to help you fight your battles. God has given us much in the book of Psalms to help us. Here are a few of my favorites:

"Thou wilt show me the path of life; in thy presence is fulness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore." Psalm 16: 11

"Keep me as the apple of thy eye, hide me under the shadow of thy wings". Psalm 17: 8

"I will love thee, O Lord, my strength. The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer; my God, my strength, in whom I will trust; my buckler and the horn of my salvation and my high tower. I will call upon the Lord who is worthy to be praised, so shall I be saved from my enemies." Psalm 18: 1-3

"He sent from above, he took me and drew me out of many waters, He delivered me from my strong enemy and from them which hated me for they were too strong for me. They [hindered] me in the day of my calamity, but the Lord was my stay." Psalm 18: 16-18

"For thou will light my candle; the Lord my God will enlighten my darkness." Psalm 18: 28

"Thou art he that took me out of the womb; thou didst make me hope when I was upon my mother's breasts. I was cast upon thee from the womb, thou art MY God from my mother's belly. Be not far from me for trouble is near, for there is none to help." Psalm 22: 9-11

"Turn thee unto me and have mercy upon me; for I am desolate and afflicted. The troubles of my heart are enlarged. O bring thou me out of my distresses." Psalm 25: 16-17

"The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid? Hear, O Lord when I cry with my voice; have mercy also upon me and answer me. I had fainted unless I had believed to see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Wait on the Lord; be of good courage and He shall strengthen thine heart; wait I say on the Lord!"Psalm 27 (selected verses)

"The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusted in him and I am helped; therefore my heart greatly rejoiceth and with my song will I praise Him" Psalm 28:7

"Weeping endures for a night, but JOY cometh in the morning!" Psalm 30: 5b

(All verses are King James Version)

When a verse in Psalms or anywhere in scripture for that matter, especially speaks to you or when God gives you a verse that helps you through a time of adversity, write the date out beside it and maybe a note. Each time you read through your Bible, you will be reminded of how God used that verse to bring encouragement, hope and comfort; how He spoke to you or helped you. It will reinforce your faith and remind you once again how faithful our God ALWAYS is!

CAMP DAVID

Camp David is my favorite "camping ground". No, I don't mean the presidential retreat. Nor do I mean the kind of camping you do in a tent. (My idea of that kind of camping is a Hampton Inn). No, I am referring to camping out in terms of taking up temporary residence, parking, hanging out....so to speak. Now that I have your attention and you are TOTALLY confused, I will give you the REAL meaning. I LOVE the book of Psalms!!!!!!!

When I am discouraged, lonely, afraid, anxious, worried, or don't know which way to turn, I turn to the book of Psalms. It is my FAVORITE book of the Bible!! Beth Moore has recently written a Bible study on Psalms which our women's ministry will begin the end of this month. I can't tell you how EXCITED I am!!!!!!!!!!!

Several times lately I've referred my friends to "Camp David". I don' t think there is anywhere in the Bible that you can "park" and be comforted and encouraged and uplifted, quite like Camp David.

I'd like to share some of my favorite passages with you.

Psalm 1 - In this Psalm David contrasts a godly person with an ungodly person. There is a progression of sin as defined in verse 1....walking, standing and sitting (I wrote about this on September 16, 2007) Then there is the one who plants his life in the Lord, putting down deep roots, producing much fruit and being successful. Such simple directions for LIFE!

Psalm 3:3 God is the "lifter up of my head". I just picture Him with his finger beneath my chin, tilting my face up to look into His eyes of love, saying gently to me "Child....it is ok. I'm here."

Psalm 6: 2 "Have mercy on me O Lord, for I am weak". How often I've cried out to Him in those very words. That is why I love David so much. He expresses my feelings perfectly. It is almost as if he has written exactly what I am feeling. So personal!

Psalm 7:9, 16 I have a note that I wrote out beside this verse in March of 2003. It reads "Saddam". Enough said.

Psalm 13: 6 "I will sing unto the Lord because he has dealt bountifully with me!" BOUNTIFULLY!!!! God does not skimp on His goodness to us.

These are just a few of the verses that God has used to comfort and encourage me. If you have never spent time at Camp David, I urge you to pay it a visit. God will meet you there and will deal BOUNTIFULLY with you !!!!!!!! More tomorrow.....