Patience when life overwhelms - Victory in Jesus

We all have plans in our lives - plans can often be real, exciting and exhilarating.

They can also be filled with dread and foreboding but plans are just that, plans - so many of us make plans only to shelve them quickly when things go haywire or the bottom of our world drops out.

There are plans however that nothing can stop or become too burdensome - they are the plans God has for our lives.

Did you know that nothing can kill Gods plan for you? Hatred can't kill them and vile and evil people can't kill them. Even when we may think that God is silent and everything is going pear-shaped - God is still God and His plans for you will continue to expand and come to fruition.

My mind travels to Joseph - that extraordinary young boy - the apple of his Dad's eye - the 'coat of many colours' kid who got his brothers and family completely off-side with what they considered were his boastings of importance.

Saved from certain death by big-brother Reuben but sold by the rest of his jealous brothers into slavery in Egypt, young Joseph didn't seem to 'kick too many goals' while he was there in his early days.

Where was God through all of his trials?  The temptations from the lust-hungry wife of his earthly 'master' - the years spent languishing in a filthy prison - Where was God indeed?

We all know the story so well how Joseph eventually became the 'saviour' of the whole land - saved his family from certain death and rescued them all, eventually living in safety and security in Egypt.

God hadn't forgotten Joseph - nor His plans for his life. God's plans continued even though there were so many pits and downfalls.

God hasn't forgotten plans for your life either! You may be thinking right here right now that He has - your whole life may have, like Joseph's, become just one disaster following another - you may be even wondering if God is indeed alive and in charge of your life at all.

I implore you as never before to have patience with our God. Keep giving Him 100% and keep following His ways - living in hope, trust and faith.

His plans for you can never be thwarted no matter what the world throws at you - His plans will always come to fruition and they certainly don't depend on us, our moods or our temperaments.

I was out jogging one morning and I listened to SELAH's version of "Be Still My Soul" - (Here is the link - so worth listening to;-  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EPDPUoxylP4  ) the words almost made me stop mid-stride and gasping for air, I prayed that God would give me patience no matter what happens to me or my family.

the first verse goes like this:-

Be still my soul. The Lord is on thy side;
With PATIENCE bear thy cross of grief or pain
Leave to thy God to order and provide
In every change he faithful will remain
Be still my soul, Thy best, thy heavenly friend
Through thorny ways lead to a joyful end.

Amazing words indeed and actually 'says it all' when it comes to handing our lives to God.

The story is told of Horatio and Anna Spafford (1828-1888) who tragically lost their young son and then almost immediately in October 1871 lost everything they possessed in the Great Chicago fire.

In 1873 he scheduled a boat trip to Europe in order to give his wife and daughters a much needed vacation and a little time to recover from both tragedies.

Several days later, he received notice that his family's ship had encountered a collision. All four of his daughters drowned; only his wife survived.

While on his way to meet his distraught and grieving wife, he penned the words of  "It is Well With My Soul" especially the line "When sorrows like Sea Billows roll; it is well, it is well with my soul."

Hoaratio Spafford knew that God had him in the palms of His hand, like Joseph of long ago - he could say in all certainty "It is well with my soul."

No matter what happened in his life he knew that God had a plan and, even though he had been brought to ruin and desolation, his faith, patience and trust in God never faltered.

How are we with patience, trust and faith in God? I know I have so many doubts and fears - wondering and worrying about family and friends - how about you?

God has indeed got a plan for each of us - none of us are privy to those plans and how they will turn out. - only our Lord, Saviour, God and Friend.

So many of us including me ask WHY? I wonder if Joseph or Horatio Spafford asked the very same question?

The answer of course is not to give up - not to 'blame' God  - not to question and ask why but to keep stepping out in faith and trust, knowing that God has indeed got a plan for us all.

If we all knew before hand what God's plan was for us then our faith would be only by sight and never by faith - we need faith to follow Christ - trust in His name and His actions - then we have hope in the future no matter what the world throws at us.

My prayer for you this week is to gain patience and wait on God to reveal His plan no matter what may happen to us or our loved ones.

We may never really know what his plans are for us - we may never really know what lives have been touched by us though his word. All we have to do is keep stepping out in faith and trust and like Horatio Sprafford say with certainty "it is well with my soul."

God bless you this week as you step out with patience with Jesus letting Him lead where He wills and where His grace takes you.

Turning Scars into Stars - When your whole world collapses

Ever been really down - I mean REALLY down - flat out and despondent?

Maybe a death of a child or spouse, a job loss which has seen you financially devastated even homeless? Maybe a sudden divorce which smacks you in the face like a tidal wave and smashes you against the rocks of life.

A friend just recently lost her child through a long and protracted illness, needless to say we can never really put into words how people cope with such a loss.

Back in my early years my sisters twin was taken suddenly at one year old. Her death was unexpected and devastating. Her surviving twin, my sister, was at a complete loss and constantly called her name wandering the house looking for her 'other half'.

At the time Gail died everyone seemed to have an answer - but there was no miracle happening here - the fevers, the gasping for every breath. the pleading in her little eyes for unanswered questions continued until she lapsed into unconsciousness and remained so until she passed away.

The most influential events in our lives we don't see coming - they hit us like a tsunami - we can't go under, around or over - we have to go through it. When we go through these things we go through shock and struggle - we can never forget these times.

Tragic, sad and confronting and we, in our desperation, shock and yes, even anger, call out WHY?? - WHY GOD???

I know I have asked that question over and over again - Why this? - Why that?

I was still asking that question when I stumbled upon a testimony by Jeremy Camp - here is the link. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tFLFFBhcUEM - copy and paste it and I am sure it will blow you away as it did me.

Jeremy lost his wife of five months to cancer and he too asked the question WHY? WHY GOD? - He was astounded when the answer came back to him that "I don't want you to know why - I want you to walk by faith - keep trusting me"

As a Christian we walk by faith - and faith alone - If we knew exactly why God does what He does - our faith would be meaningless and we would be walking with Him only by sight and never by faith.

Our fears and anxiety can be tremendous - they can swamp us! - We often find it so difficult to believe God when he says to us - "Hold my hand and I will guide you" - we are so fearful - so full of questions - so often angry.

Walking by faith often - so often, involves going down the broken roads of life - to places we are so far out of our depth - places where we are groping along blind and bewildered. Yet God's promises are sure and steadfast.

We need to be brought to a place - brought to a point where we are truly dependant on Him to see us through - that is indeed walking by faith.

God has made amazing promises and it is through our faith and trust in Him that we can throw ALL of our troubles and trials on Him.

Often through our fears and anxiety we are driven to prayer and it is here that we can win over these seemingly endless fears.

God has been faithful - He has never promised us an easy road - not any of us -  BUT He has promised to see us through if we keep on trusting Him. Colossians 1:13 "He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son."

We are very often taken to rock bottom before we can fully trust God - and I certainly don't pretend to understand why. It is through those 'bomb blast' moments that we can come face to face with what real trust and faith in God truly means.

It is truly ironic that a vast number of us start our journey with God through some sort of crisis and we will all face some sooner or later. It is a known fact that we either know of someone who is facing a crisis - we are facing one ourselves or sadly unbeknown to us we will be facing one in our lives very shortly.

There is no escape from this old world and it's trials and tribulations but through these very hardships we can grow our faith like nothing else can.

Through our trials we can renew our confidence in God instead of being angry at Him. Through our trials we can be brought to place of continual repentance which in turn brings us closer to Him.

In an overwhelming crisis many of us falter and our faith is small - Please do not be afraid of small faith - it is through faith no matter how small that we come to God - our very weakness in falling at his feet brings glory to Him and freedom for us.

Yes of course there will be huge consequences of shock and grief - many tears will fall and we will carry scars maybe for years.

Jesus carried scars as well - He carried scars of grace and what he did for all of us on that terrible/wonderful day has had astounding and incredible consequences and will do for eternity.

We all can have hope in God even though our hope may not be what we thought it would have been or what is happening in our lives today. Please don't walk away from hope - please believe with all that you have that what has been broken can be restored - This is NOT the end of our story.

How about this verse in 1 Corinthians 15:43  "Our bodies are buried in brokenness, but they will be raised in glory. they are buried in weakness, but they will be raised in strength"

Or this one in 2 Corinthians 1:9-10  "But this happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God, who raises the dead. He has delivered us from such a deadly peril, and he will deliver us again."

Amazing promises from our amazing God.

Please listen and turn to Christ in whatever has been thrown at you - Please don't lose your hope in God - throw every bit of your trust and faith to God.

The world is full of broken hearts and minds - give yours to our amazing healer - He WILL see you through it.

God bless you as struggle with turning your scars into stars with Jesus.