Places You Don't Want to Be

  “When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you.”

Isaiah 43:2 (NIV)

 

   My mother’s favorite childhood memory was getting up early to go with her father, my grandad, as he fished in the river near the family cabin. Her job – and she loved it – was to row the boat as he threw out his line. Mother said Grandad always reminded her that oars had to work together, in unison, or the boat wouldn’t stay in the middle of the river in deeper water where the best fish were hiding. “If you want to go in a straight line,” he would tell her, “you have to use the same amount of strength in each arm to pull the oars through the water. If your left oar is pulled back harder than your right one, you will get off course in seconds.”

   Then he would warn her “The oars always have to work together or you will find yourself in places you don’t want to be.” If she forgot to listen to his advice, they would end up either spinning in a circle or in shallow water with large jagged rocks, a bank full of branches . . . and snakes. And what would her father do when she got off course and didn’t follow his warning? He would gently but firmly tell her to look at her oars. “Are you pulling with the same strength in each one? No. Look at the middle of the river. That’s where you want to be. Row back to that place and start over.”

    That sounds so much like my life. If the “oars” that I use to get me through each day are from the world instead of the Word, I am going to spin out of control and get off course.  Let me explain. If one of my oars is faith and the other one fear, I will struggle through life because they will work against each other. The oar of faith will push forward as the oar of fear pulls backward. And the outcome will be as my grandad warned:  “You will find yourself in places you don’t want to be.”

    Faith pulls me through each day and tells me “Hang in there; hold on to the Lord. It may be rough for a while but you will get through!” But fear screams “You aren’t going to make it! Give up! Quit!” Where are you today? Rowing in the middle of God’s plan for your life or headed for the jagged rocks, branches and snakes? I encourage you to exchange the oar of fear for one of trust. Call on the Lord to help you pull through whatever is in your path. He alone can replace fear with trust and faith to keep you from places you don’t want to be.

    Father, please help me to stay in your Word every day. I need the strength to face life’s challenges and it can only come from you. In Jesus’ Name. Amen. 

 R.A.P. it up . . .

 

Reflect

• Do you ever find yourself in a situation in which you seem to be going in circles and not making any progress?

• What “oars” are you using to strengthen you? Faith and trust? Or fear and panic?

 Apply

• Journal the words “faith/trust” and “fear/panic” in two columns.

• During your prayer time, journal situations in your life that you are facing and the results of each one if you react with faith and trust or with fear and panic.

 Power

• Isaiah 43:2 (NIV) “When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you.”

• Mark 4:39-40 (NIV) “He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, “Quiet! Be still!” Then the wind died down and it was completely calm. He said to his disciples, “Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?”

• Philippians 4:13 (NIV) “I can do everything through him who gives me strength.”

 

 

How Will You Be Remembered?

 “I tell you the truth, wherever this gospel is preached throughout the world, what she has done will also be told, in memory of her.”

Matthew 26:13 (NIV)

 

 

      The second I heard the question the man on the phone asked me late one evening, I was caught completely by surprise: “Is LeRoy there?” he asked. “What? What did you say?” I repeated haltingly. The caller must have thought I didn’t hear because he repeated his question more slowly and loudly: “I said is . . . Le . . . Roy . . . there?” My husband had passed away 5 years earlier and, except for the occasional junk mail addressed to him, the references had ceased.

 

     After the man explained that he had bought hunting dogs from my husband in the past, I took a deep breath and told him that LeRoy had passed away. He quickly gave his condolences and hung up but his question remained with me: “Is LeRoy there?” 

 

     Yes. Yes, he is. He is here. He is here in the mannerisms and quiet strength of his son. He is here in the hazel eyes of his oldest daughter. He is here in the smile of his younger daughter. He lives on in the giggles of grandchildren who were babies when he passed away and do not have clear memories of him but still beg again and again “Tell me how Papa LeRoy lifted me up in the air!” to “Papa LeRoy loved coon hunting, didn’t he. What was his dog’s name?” to “How come Papa had a mustache?”

 

     He will live on because we choose to share memories of a man who was crazy mad in love with his children and grandchildren and his wife and who considered every day a gift and a blessing. Those are precious memories, yes. But, more than anything else, his memory will live on and he will not be forgotten because he shared the Lord he loved with fellow coon hunters, with co-workers, and with his family.

 

    In Matthew 26:13 we read of a woman who, according to Jesus, would never be forgotten. She did something that the disciples thought was ridiculous. This woman, named Mary, brought an alabaster jar of expensive perfume to the home where Jesus and the disciples were and began to pour it on Jesus’ feet and wipe them with her hair.

.

    While the disciples considered it to be an expensive waste, Jesus replied that she would be remembered for this act of love because what she had done would be told over and over throughout the world. She had given everything she had of earthly value to her Lord by showing where her treasure belonged.

    I just need to ask you this. What legacy are you leaving behind? How will you be remembered? “He was a great athlete” or “She loved to garden” or “He was a successful businessman” are all nice accomplishments and compliments. But more than anything, we want to be remembered as a Christ-follower who shared Jesus with everyone around us. That is the memory that is most important. 

 

   So, is LeRoy here? Yes. Yes, he is . . . for years to come.   

 

  Father, I want to be remembered as one who loved you more than anything on this earth and  shared your gift of eternity every day.  In Jesus’ Name. Amen.  

R.A.P. it up . . .

 

Reflect

• What memories of your life will be left for those who knew you?

• What do you want people to remember about you years from now?

 

Apply

• Journal a mini-version of your conversations for one week. How many times did you mention Jesus and what He has done for you?

• Ask the Lord to give you boldness to share Him with those you meet every day.

 

Power 

• Matthew 26:13 (NIV) “I tell you the truth, wherever this gospel is preached throughout the world, what she has done will also be told, in memory of her.”

• Philippians 1:3 (NIV) “I thank my God every time I remember you.”

• Romans 1:8 (NIV) “First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for all of you, because your faith is being reported all over the world.”

 

·        

·       

The Uninvited Guest

 “God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea.”

Psalm 46:1-2 (NIV)

     An uninvited guest moved into my home almost immediately after my husband passed away. I felt his presence no matter where I turned. I tried to sleep but I would wake up to his repeated taunts and whispers. “Who’s going to be next?” he would taunt. “Someone else is going to die; who do you think it is?” he would challenge and then fade into the background, leaving me with a choking panic in my throat. With every attack my heart would race in my chest as if I had just run a marathon.

     One morning a daily phone call to a close friend was not answered. From out of nowhere a voice spoke a lie to my heart. “She’s dead. She was the next one.” And for an instant, I almost believed him. In my defense, within about a 5 month time period, I had lost my brother-in-law, who was more like a brother; my sister who was my best friend and two weeks after that, my husband. I cannot begin to describe the deep heartache and grief that filled every second of my days and nights. 

     And the name of my uninvited guest? Satan, the evil liar. He did everything he could to permanently move into my home – and my heart – with his baggage of deception and deceit. His purpose was to drain my joy and my hope and to shake my very foundation and belief and trust in Jesus. He knew that I was holding on to the Lord with every ounce of strength I had and that there were many days when simply breathing became an accomplishment. 

    The entire book of Psalms became my place of refuge – my hiding place. I literally ran to my Bible and held it closely as I read one Scripture after another in which David talked about holding on to God with everything He had. Why? Because even David had days when he was lonely and defeated and heartbroken and beaten up spiritually. And yes, when he was afraid. David the warrior was afraid.

    Psalm 46:1-2 became a minute by minute encouragement to me. David wrote “God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.  Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea.” That was exactly how I felt: everything beneath my feet had broken apart and I was in free fall with no rope for security.

    If you have not experienced the suddenness of loss – either of a loved one or a job or something secure in your life – you will. Jesus tells us that we will have problems in this world (John 16:33) but the great news is that He has already overcome every single heartache that we will face.

   Because Jesus held on to me and spoke truth, my uninvited guest was kicked from my home and my heart and replaced with the power of the Holy Spirit. Oh, Satan still tries to sneak back in every so often. But I no longer live in fear. I live in faith.

   Father, thank you for being my strength when I have none and for always being by my side. I choose to listen to your voice. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

R.A.P. it up . . .

Reflect

• Can you think of an experience when fear took over every part of your life and you found yourself struggling?

• Where did you go for strength and the power to overcome your fear? Why?

Apply

• There are 150 chapters in the book of Psalms. Read 5 per day for one month. Underline or highlight those parts that specifically speak to your heart.

• Memorize today’s Scripture and praise the Lord for His presence by your side, no matter what you face in life. He is faithful.

Power 

• Psalm 46:1-2 (NIV) “God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.  Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea.”

• Psalm 27:1 (NIV) “The Lord is my light and my salvation – whom shall I fear?”

• Psalm 34:4 (NIV) “I sought the Lord, and he answered me; he delivered me from all my fears.”

The First Tattoo

 “Can a mother forget the baby at her breast and have no compassion on the child she has borne? Though she may forget, I will not forget you! See, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands; your walls are ever before me.” Isaiah 49:15-16 NIV

Several years ago when my husband and I were at a sale, I happened to notice tattoos on the arm of a man who was there. I’d seen different tattoo designs before but never like his. There were 4 tattooed names down his left arm, one under the other: Betty, Susan, Amy and Nancy. But it was hard to read them because across each name was a tattooed line. 

So I struck up a conversation and asked him what it meant. He said “Well Betty was my first girlfriend but she cheated on me when I was in the service. And then Susan was my first wife but we just didn’t get along, ya know.” He told me about the last two names but I don’t remember why they didn’t work out. I just had to ask: “So the line you had tattooed across each one?” And he shrugged and said “I don’t care about them any more so I just got rid of them that way. I don’t even think about their names on my arm any more.”

And then I read Isaiah 49:15-16. I love it for so many reasons. Immediately I can see that it is the first recorded tattoo in the Bible. God’s tattoo of our names on the palms of his hands! Then my eyes are drawn to the word “engraved.” Not written in pencil which can be erased or ink which can fade. There is no line drawn through our names to show that we have done something to cause Him to never  care about or think of us again. But engraved by the God of the Universe because He loves us that much. 

Do you feel forgotten? Unloved? Alone? Perhaps it seems like no one truly understands your heartache and pain and you have nowhere to turn. Never forget that God has your very name engraved on His hands for a reason: to let you know that He will never leave you or forget you and He loves you more than you can ever imagine.  

Father, thank you for loving me so much that you would find a way to show me you will never leave me or forget me. I love you. In Jesus’ Name. Amen. 

R.A.P. it up . . . 

Reflect

• Have you ever felt like you were completely alone and no one cared about you and what you were going through?

• Where did you turn to first for help and why?

Apply

• Memorize Isaiah 49:15-16 for those times when you are struggling with something in your life.

• Write this Scripture on the palm of your hand during your prayer time for a week and praise the Lord and thank Him for never forgetting your name.

Power

• Isaiah 49:15-16 NIV “Can a mother forget the baby at her breast and have no compassion on the child she has borne? Though she may forget, I will not forget you! See, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands; your walls are ever before me.” 

• Psalm 56:8 (NIV) “Record my lament; list my tears on your scroll - are they not in your record?”

• Hebrews 4:16 (NIV) “Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.”