6 Ways to De-stress 

I recently read a short article written by one of my favourite women authors, Cindi McMenamin (I can’t recommend her enough, if you’re looking for quality content and insight).

She mentioned 6 ways to de-stress, and as I seem to live in a perpetual season of stressfulness, I found it very helpful. I’m not saying I’ve figured it all out, but it was a good reminder to me, once again, on practical ways to de-stress.

So, here they are, the points are hers and I’ve added my own little descriptions, insights and scripture verses.  I pray that it will be an encouragement and help to you as it was to me.

1.    Start your day with a simple prayer

It sounds simple, right? That’s because it is. I’m not saying you need to rise at 4 am and spend 3 hours in prayer, although that would be awesome. No. I’m encouraging you to start your day with a short, simple prayer to the Lord, asking him to bless your day and order it as he sees fit. It can be as simple as, “Lord, please bless my day, I give it to you, please help me to honour you and please you in all that I do. Amen.”

If you make it a habit to pray before you even rise from your bed, you will soon find, that you begin to have so many prayer requests that you need more time to pray, and that’s great, you will just have to get up a little earlier. I truly believe that your day will go smoother when you start it with prayer. I’m not saying that everything will be perfect, because God’s ways are different than ours, but I do think that if we start with an attitude of praise and humbleness and willingness to do his will, no matter what our day throws at us, God will help us see it through without falling in a heap.

1 Chronicles 16:11 Seek the LORD and his strength, seek his face continually.

2.    Get Outdoors

Now, I really love this one! I am an outdoorsy sort of person and would rather sleep out under the stars than under a roof any day, unless of course if it’s raining, then a tarp overhead would be nice. Studies show that going for a walk and getting some beautiful sunshine and wind in your face will not only improve your physical health but also your mental health. And that in turn will help with your stress level.

We live in a world that likes to hibernate. With all our technology we can do most things from the comfort of our air conditioned, or heated, homes. Shopping, socializing and even church. But there is so much benefit in getting out into God’s creation and praising him as you look around you at all he’s made. I have what I like to call ‘rooftop worship’. This is where I climb onto my roof and gaze into the heavens, soaking in the sights and sounds and marvelling at the way God paints the sky with his colourful palette. Sometimes I do this in silence and other times while I listen to worship music. It fills me up.

Psalm 19:1 The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handywork.

3.    Find Your Resting Place

There’s nothing quite as refreshing as finding a few moments of silence. Especially if you have little ones underfoot or you work in a stressful, noisy, environment. Just to be able to have silence and breathe in deeply, lifting up a prayer to the Lord and finding calm. So, look for a place to sit quietly for a few moments. I used to try and do that when the kids were little, by sitting in the bathroom, but the schoolbooks kept getting pushed under the door, wanting to be scored and the tap tap tapping on the door didn’t help the needed solitude. You may have to get creative, but it’s imperative that you do. Find your resting place. Giving yourself a few seconds of silence will help improve your stress level and you might even find yourself more productive after it.

The Lord Jesus spoke on rest many times in the Bible and he made sure his disciples knew the benefits of it too.

Mark 6:31 And he said unto them, Come ye yourselves apart into a desert place, and rest a while: for there were many coming and going, and they had no leisure so much as to eat.

4.    Find your song

Here is another one of my favourites. Praise and worship are found all throughout the Bible and you don’t have to look far to see the benefits of music and especially Godly music in the life of a believer. Practice praising God in song. Whether you sing out loud at the top of your lungs or under your breath quietly, find your song! Listen to good worship music that raises your spirits and lifts your head and heart and mind. The more you sing about God’s goodness, the less stressed you will be. If you come to my place, you might just find me laying outside with my music playing and my eyes closed, worshipping God with my heart and voice.

Psalm 96:2 Sing unto the LORD, bless his name; shew forth his salvation from day to day.

Psalm 95:1 O come, let us sing unto the LORD: let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation.

5.    Clear the clutter

Now here is an interesting one. Did you know that simply doing something like decluttering actually lowers your stress level? It’s true. We all, in our affluent society, have a lot of clutter. A lot of unnecessary stuff. You know exactly what I’m talking about. Uh huh. Right now, you have some thing or things in mind that could do with a good declutter!

Go through a chest of drawers and do a clothes sort. Look through your kitchen cupboards and donate all the unused items. It’s amazing how freeing it is to live with less stuff. Creating some open space in your home or office or garage, will really help dial down the stress level. More and more I am drawn to the idea of a tiny home. Less stuff. Less space. Less to worry about. Less to clean etc.

And the actual act of giving something away to someone who needs it more than you will help improve your mood.

Proverbs 31:27 She looketh well to the ways of her household, and eateth not the bread of idleness.

6.    Limit the List

Ouch. This one really hits home with me. I am queen of the extra-long, impossible to achieve, overwhelming and stressful to-do list! If we want to lower our stress levels, we really need to learn to limit our lists. We have to get serious about prioritizing and rescheduling things or removing them altogether. If you don’t plan some open space in your schedule each day, you will burn out. I know that from experience and yet I don’t seem to learn. Try to focus on the things that really matter in your life. Your relationship with God. Your relationship with your family.

Learn to discern what is urgent and what is important. We are not to neglect our responsibilities, but we have to be careful about how much we try to accomplish at the detriment of other things, or more often than not, people.

There are so many things we pile onto ourselves and fill our to-do lists with that really wouldn’t matter if we didn’t do them. Sometimes I ask myself, “In 10 years’ time, will this really matter?” Yes, there are a lot of things I regret doing when I could better have spent my time.

God gives us our days on this earth, and we are to use them wisely. We need his help to order our days.

Psalm 90:12 So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom.

 

If you’re feeling stressed and overwhelmed, don’t forget who walks beside you and who is there to strengthen and help you. Your heavenly Father cares about you and he wants to see you joyful and full of his peace. Listen to his still, small voice, calling you to him and calling you to rest.

 

Philippians 4:6-8

Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.

And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.

 

 

 

 

 

You don’t have to walk this life alone

 

Are you alone today? Do you feel alone physically, mentally, emotionally, spiritually? Loneliness is something that affects each and every one of us at some time or another during our lives.

Sometimes it may not be physical. You may be surrounded by family and friends and yet feel alone. Maybe those around you do not share your passions or your interests and you feel like you’re the only one excited about something you feel is important. You can’t seem to connect with anyone else on an emotional level.

Or maybe you feel spiritually alone. Maybe your spouse is an unbeliever. Or maybe you feel alone in your church! There can be such spiritual apathy in some Christian circles, that if you’re walking close to the Lord and have a fervency about you, you find it difficult to find and connect with another believer who is searching the scriptures and excited about what God’s Word has to say. It’s sad, but it happens. And it may very well be you that is the one who is apathetic and comfortable in their half-hearted Christian walk.

Sometimes we long to have someone to share our deepest thoughts with, our hopes and dreams. If you’re married, I trust and pray that you are able to do this with your spouse. But there are times when this is not possible simply because of physical distance or a difficult day at work and one or the other feeling completely drained and incapable of communicating on a deeper level. Or maybe you’re single and don’t have a good support group of fellow Christians that you can call on at a moments notice to meet a need you have.

Whatever the case may be, I’m here to tell you that there is someone that can meet every one of your needs. Emotional. Physical. Spiritual. EVERY one of them! And that person is the Lord Jesus Christ.

Yes, he is the only one that can meet ALL of your needs. It’s not right to expect your spouse or family or friends to meet all of your needs. They don’t need that kind of pressure from you, and you don’t need that kind of pressure from them.

There was a time, not so many years ago, that I felt frustrated and discouraged that my husband wasn’t meeting all my needs. I felt let down and hurt. Why couldn’t he communicate like I needed? Why couldn’t he say the words I so desperately needed to hear? Why couldn’t he be physically there the minute I snapped my fingers?

But God changed my heart and repentance came. He led me through his Word to see that God and only God was the one who could meet all of my needs. And that any time I felt alone, I could run to him, and he would always be there. He would always be present. 

Hebrews 13:5b ….for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.

People will always let you down, but our Heavenly Father NEVER will!

Can I share with you some other verses that will be a comfort to your soul?

The Lord Jesus does so much for us and has given us so much, he is perfect, he knows all things and he knows you inside and out.

He comforts me when I’m hurting

2 Corinthians 1:3 KJV - Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort;

He understands me and knows my deepest thoughts

Psalm 139:2 KJV - Thou knowest my downsitting and mine uprising, thou understandest my thought afar off.

He is always there, even if I try to run from him

Psalm 139:7-10 KJV - Whither shall I go from thy spirit? or whither shall I flee from thy presence? If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there: if I make my bed in hell, behold, thou art there. If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea; Even there shall thy hand lead me, and thy right hand shall hold me.

He thinks good thoughts of me

Psalm 139:17 KJV - How precious also are thy thoughts unto me, O God! how great is the sum of them!

He freely gives me all things

Romans 8:32 KJV - He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?

He has a future planned out for me

 

Jeremiah 29:11 KJV - For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.

These verses are such a comfort and yet, they are only some of the ways God is able to meet my emotional, spiritual and physical needs. There are so many more.

The next time you feel alone, can I encourage you to tell God about it first? Often, we run to our best friend, or put it up on social media, or complain to our spouse. But the first person we should be telling is God. I need to bring it to him in prayer. I need to pour my heart out to him.

There is a beautiful verse in Psalm 62.

Psalm 62:8 KJV - Trust in him at all times; ye people, pour out your heart before him: God is a refuge for us. Selah.

This verse tells us to POUR out our heart to God. Pour it out. All of it. Not just a little. Not half-hearted. Not accidentally. No. Willingly pour it out. We are to trust him, and we know we can, as he is completely trustworthy, and then we are to pour our heart out to him.

Psalm 62:6-7 KJV - He only is my rock and my salvation: he is my defence; I shall not be moved. In God is my salvation and my glory: the rock of my strength, and my refuge, is in God.

He is my salvation. My rock. My fortress. He is the need-meeter, for want of a better word. He is perfectly able to meet all of my needs.

Sometimes as I wait for my husband to come home after a long day of work, I am full of eagerness to ‘pour out my heart’ to him, longing to share with him what is on my heart and mind, only to find myself frustrated because he is weary, hungry and ready to relax and not ready for deep communication. I have no idea of the pressures he’s been under that day and so I can’t predict how he’ll react or how my sharing will come across. Will it sound demanding, or critical, or complaining?

Now, I could go on a rabbit trail on the subject of communication in marriage because it’s a very important topic for me and one I’m very passionate about, but I just want to say one thing. How about pouring your heart out to the Lord first, before anyone else? And then asking the Lord for discernment in what you should say, and how much you should say and when you should say it.

We put so much pressure on those we love, expecting them to meet all of our needs and yet God is there, waiting with open arms, for you to come to him. Come to him in your brokenness. Come to him in humbleness. Come to him with your tears, your fears, your heartache. He is waiting for you.

Do you trust God enough to pour your heart out to him right now?

The Lord Jesus is a protective refuge where you can pour out your heart, without fear of being misunderstood, misinterpreted or pushed aside. We never have to fear that he will turn a deaf ear to us or be too tired, distracted or drained.

Psalm 121:3-4 KJV - He will not suffer thy foot to be moved: he that keepeth thee will not slumber. Behold, he that keepeth Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep.

He knows our hearts and understands our needs and he is aware of our desires and wants. He sees all the hurt and the pain. And he can heal all our wounds.

Psalm 34:18 KJV - The LORD is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit.

What a comfort it is to know that we never have to be alone.

Learning to bring to God all our needs, requires us to deepen our intimacy with him and learn of him. It means getting to know God better, learning how to communicate with him. It has to go beyond a surface level of bringing our requests to him in a haphazard fashion. We have to have a desire to thirst after God as the Psalmist did.

Psalm 42:1-2 KJV As the hart panteth after the water brooks, so panteth my soul after thee, O God. My soul thirsteth for God, for the living God: when shall I come and appear before God?

When we take the expectation of emotional fulfilment off our spouse, family and friends, we free them up to become better communicators as they know that we are no longer clingy, longing for attention, unstable and moody, but that we have spent time with the Lord first and the pressure is off them to meet every need we have.

If you’re alone today, don’t waste this season. Don’t waste your alone time. Use it to deepen your relationship with God. And use it to invest in others. There is always someone else who is feeling alone and in need of a friend and an encouraging word. Let it be you who steps up to the plate, even though you’re hurting. Helping others really does lift your spirits.

If you’re struggling with loneliness right now, don’t forget who to run to. Run to the rock. Run straight into the open arms of Jesus and let him fill you up.

 

Tell God first

Trust God fully

Let God meet your needs.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Is There Grass on Your Path?

“In one region of Africa, the first converts to Christianity were very diligent about praying. In fact, the believers each had their own special place outside the village where they went to pray in solitude. The villagers reached these “prayer rooms” by using their own private footpaths through the brush. When grass began to grow over one of these trails, it was evident that the person to whom it belonged was not praying very much. Because these new Christians were concerned for each other’s spiritual welfare, a unique custom sprang up. Whenever anyone noticed an overgrown “prayer path,” he or she would go to the person and lovingly warn, “Friend, there’s grass on your path!”

- (RWD Our Daily Bread, November 18, 1996).

 

Many years ago, I read this beautiful little story about the Christians in Africa, and I am often reminded of it if I go for a walk in the bush and see a distinct path leading off into the distance.

 

How confronting would it be if we had such a visual way to tell how often we spent in prayer in our modern lives?

 

It makes me stop and think, is there grass on my path? Is my prayer life so neglected that my path is overgrown with weeds, the track barely discernible?

 

Do I have weeds of busyness, weeds of laziness, weeds of discontent, unbelief, indifference, obscuring my path?

 

Our lives can become so busy that we neglect to spend much needed time in prayer. Focused prayer. Not just short little ‘help me’ prayers, but ‘get on your knees and beg for God to work’ prayers.

We need to make it a priority to find that special place. That ‘prayer room’ where we can get alone and get serious with God. What a blessing it is to know that we have an audience with the Creator of the universe, the King of Kings, the Lord of Lords! At any time, we can come to him in prayer.  

Psalm 34:15 The eyes of the LORD are upon the righteous, and his ears are open unto their cry.

Psalm 34:17 The righteous cry, and the LORD heareth, and delivereth them out of all their troubles.

Psalm 55:17 Evening, and morning, and at noon, will I pray, and cry aloud: and he shall hear my voice.

Prayer is one of the simplest and yet the most difficult things to do in our daily Christian walk. I find that even though it is simply talking to God and doesn’t require a lot of physical effort, as concentrated Bible study does, prayer requires us to quiet our minds, still our hearts, and find the quiet needed to really listen to God and commune with him. And often, that is harder than pulling out our pens and notebooks and devotionals.

Making time to tune out the noise of the world, sit in silence, still our hands, bow our heads and worship is not the easiest thing to do, but it is a wonderful privilege we have as Christians and we would do well to practice it, clearing our ‘prayer paths’ and making sure they are well worn and pointing to the Lord.

It’s not always easy in the hustle and bustle of our days, to take time to pray. Breathing a quick few words as we jump out of bed in the morning and before we get back in at night is not going to see our path cleared of grass. No. There has to be more than a sentence or two each day.

If you’ve ever walked through a paddock where cattle are being kept, you’ll see trails of hard packed dirt leading to and from waterholes. These tracks are easily discernible and easily followed because they are clear of grass. The reason for this is they are used daily or many times a day, wearing down and compacting the earth, keeping it free from obstacles.

If we ‘walk’ our prayer path daily, we will see the trail clearly, leading to Jesus. And it will be so clear and free from obstacles that we can skip along it joyfully, singing to the Lord as we go, coming boldly to the throne of grace, bringing our cares to him, not concerned that we will lose our way, because the way is clear.

God is always near, and He always listens. He is there, waiting at the end of our ‘prayer paths’ and in our ‘prayer rooms’, calling us to come and meet with Him and learn from Him. And yet, we push Him aside by being too busy to stop and pray. Our path becomes overgrown, little by little, until one day, we find that we can no longer see the path and we’ve almost forgotten how to pray. What a sorry state of affairs to see our prayer path obscured.

Over the years, I have really struggled to spend considerate amounts of time in prayer. I have had countless prayer journals, notebooks, prayer lists, categorized and organized to help me pray more efficiently and yet I still find it difficult to be still and spend time only in prayer and worship, not reading, not studying, just simply talking to God.

I think it will always be a continual battle to fit longer prayer times into our busy schedules, but it needs to be something we strive to improve.

I long for my prayer path to be clear and free of grass and weeds. I want my prayer life to be so strong and so fruitful that if there was a visual that everyone could see, they wouldn’t have to remind me that there was grass on my path. It would be evident that I have taken time to pray.

I trust that this will help to be a reminder of the need to pray, and pray often.                                                

 

 

 

Are you guilty of looking over the fence?

 

There’s an old saying that goes,

“The grass is always greener on the other side”.

I was listening to a sermon today and in it a phrase jumped out at me so loudly I had to pause and write it down.

The grass is greener where you water it.

Profound right? Well, it was to me anyway.

I began to think about this statement and how it applies to our everyday lives. We are often dissatisfied with our lot in life, unhappy with our circumstances, discontent with what we own. And all too often, we look around us at the lives of others and begin to covet what they have. The grass just looks so green on their side of the fence. They seem to have it all.

Social media has done a lot to put fuel on the fire of discontentment. At the touch of a button, we are able to view the lives of others and we find ourselves wishing we were more attractive, skinnier, richer, had more time for leisure, worked at a different job, had more kids, had less kids, went to a better church and the list goes on.

But all is not as it seems and I’m sure I don’t have to tell you this. We all know that you can’t believe everything you see. The grass on the other side of the fence, green though it may be, could very well be fake!

So, how do we get our grass to be as green as what we perceive? We have to water it, of course!

If we want our friendships to flourish, we have to work on them. If we want our children to succeed and grow up to be God-fearing, responsible adults, then we have to do the training and the praying and the hard labour. If we want long lasting marriages, we have to work at it.

Nothing is free and grass doesn’t green itself. It needs water. It needs attention. It needs feeding.

Can I speak to those of you that are married for a moment? Tomorrow, marks 27 years of marriage for Dave and I. And I pray for another 27 on top of that, or more! But how did we get to this place? Yes, by the grace of God, but also, with a lot and I mean a LOT of hard work! A lot of watering, nourishing, feeding, pulling up of weeds, and a whole lot of unconditional love.

The grass is greener where you water it. If you want a beautiful, God-honouring marriage that has you madly in love with your spouse for years upon years, desiring only each other, wanting to spend as much time together, never wanting anything to come between you, then you have to put in the hard yards.

I am far from perfect, and I’ve made my fair share of mess ups, been stubborn and pig-headed, argued, cried, had adult tantrums etc, but through it all, I knew that if I wanted my marriage to survive, I needed to do my part, which is 100 percent. Spoiler alert: There’s no 50/50 in marriage. It’s 100 percent on both sides, no holding back, full speed ahead.

So, if you want the grass to be green, give it some hydration. Look after it.

Whatever the grass is in your current season, whether it be your marriage, your children, your health, your job, your finances, your church, whatever it is, put your heart and soul into it. Look after it, just as you would a beautiful garden that you want to stroll through, admiring the blooms that you planted.

Don’t be continually looking over the other side at what others have. They might look like they’re ‘crushing’ it with their inspiring posts and insta-stories. They may show you a side of their lives that is only a half truth. It may look like they have it all together, but most probably, they’re looking over at you wishing they had what you have.

The Bible doesn’t tell us to look over, it tells us to look up. Look to the Lord Jesus Christ.

Psalm 5:3 My voice shalt thou hear in the morning, O LORD; in the morning will I direct my prayer unto thee, and will look up.

Use him as your role model. He is the one we should aspire to be like. We should be striving to be more like him every day. When we look around, we will never be satisfied, but when we look up, we will find what we need. The knowledge of what we have as believers in Christ should encourage our hearts like nothing else. Our identity is to be found in him. He is the one that tells us who we are and what we should become.

And if we follow him and follow righteousness, we will find life.

Proverbs 21:21 He that followeth after righteousness and mercy findeth life, righteousness, and honour.

And not only life, but life more abundant!

John 10:10 The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.

The grass will only grow greener as you water it. Tend to your own garden and quit coveting someone else’s. Don’t desire to set foot on their tender green shoots but grow your own and sink your toes into the lushness that could be your life and your grass.

Water it. Nourish it. Cherish it. Live it.

And let God get all the glory.

 

 

 

 

 

 

You don’t have to have it all figured out

“Peace is found in walking by faith, not by figuring out the future”

In reading this quote recently, I began to think about how often I try to figure out things on my own instead of simply walking by faith.

What do we do when we don’t know the next step to take?

Our life for the past 6 months has been a series of ups and downs, highs and lows, fear and uncertainty, soul searching and questions.

We have found ourselves frequently unsure of the next step to take. We have lost sleep over decisions to be made, we’ve felt frustrated, defeated, overwhelmed and unsure.

But the one thing that has been an immoveable rock and a strong foundation, is the promise that God is good. God is still good when everything is falling apart. God is still good when the answers don’t come. God is still good when it looks like you’re going under for the last time.

It doesn’t matter what is happening in your life, God is still good!

Over and over in many of the Psalms we read of God’s goodness.

Psalm 107:8 Oh that men would praise the LORD for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men!

If all seems lost and you don’t know the way to take, remember God is good and he will DO good and he will be there for you as you trust in him.

“Peace is found in walking by faith, not by figuring out the future”

It really is true that peace comes when you put your trust in Christ, relying on him and the promises in his word, daily spending time with him, casting all your cares on him and lying contentedly in his plans for your life. A very well-known and loved passage of scripture is found in the book of Proverbs.

Proverbs 3:5-6 Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve rattled these verses off, having memorized them as a child. But what a blessed and precious promise they hold.

How often do I find myself leaning on my own understanding? That word lean, in the Hebrew, has the idea of putting your whole weight on. This is not a casual leaning, like you would lean on the door jam in weariness nor is it the same as leaning against a chair to steady yourself. No! It means to rely on and put your whole weight on. It is also translated many times in scripture as resting.

So, we are told NOT to rely on, put all our weight on, rest on or in, our own ways and methods and understanding, but to trust in the Lord.

Too many times I try and figure out the future, when God is the only one that can see that far ahead. Often, I find myself trusting completely in the plans I’ve figured out only to find them crumble at my feet as they were not God’s plans.

These verses promise me that if I trust in the Lord, he WILL direct my paths. He WILL light my way. He WILL show me where to take my next step, where to place my foot, which path to go and how fast to walk along it.

We all feel overwhelmed at some point in our lives, and often, many times in our lives, it’s not something you ever really grow out of.  

I have the bad habit of making something out to be worse than it really is. Overthinking it. Making it harder or more complicated when it really isn’t. I’m sure that’s why God gave me a practical, level-headed husband, to help balance me out and pull me up when I’m spiralling.

We have to learn to stop overreacting, overthinking, calculating and planning in order to gain clarity. We just need to learn to trust and let God do the organizing for us. Don’t calculate for clarity, trust for truth!

Easier said than done, I know. A born organizer, like myself, finds it hard to let go of the controlling and just let God do his will.

But if we really believe God’s promises, then we can sit back, content that he will work it all out, trusting that he will direct our paths. This doesn’t mean that we do nothing. God gave us our intellect and he expects us to use it. God wants us to put feet to our prayers.

Ultimately, it comes back to what you know of God and what you believe of him.

If we develop a deep and intimate knowledge of God and we have confidence in his character, we can have the assurance that he will work for our good and for his glory. When we truly know God, we can’t help but trust him. And if we look back over our lives, and remind ourselves of his goodness, we will be encouraged to keep trusting, as we know he has come through in the past and will come through in the future.

If we can learn to walk by faith and not by sight, if we can learn to trust God completely, we will experience more peace in our lives. We won’t find ourselves fretting over what ifs and when and how.

God knows everything that has gone before, and he knows everything that is to come. What a wonderful comfort it is to trust in someone so all-knowing and all-powerful, that we don’t have to have it all figured out, because we know he already has it planned.

When I don’t know what step to take next or what decision to make, I can rely on God to guide me. His timing is not the same as mine, and he may make me wait on the answer, longing for me to trust him more, but if I can just remember that he is good and he loves me and wants what is best for me, I am able to wait and rest while I wait, knowing that when the time comes for me to plant my foot firmly on that next step, it will be there, steady and strong, ready for me to put my whole weight on it, in faith believing in him.

A beautiful quote I read many years ago and have never forgotten and constantly remind myself of is this:

“Faith is stepping where there is no place to step and finding yourself standing and reaching when there is nothing there and coming back with a handful.”

Don’t fear to step out in faith. Don’t try and figure it all out. God’s promises hold true. He says he won’t leave us or forsake us. He says he will direct our paths. He says he will bring peace. He says he cares for you. And it’s true!

Every promise God gives to us is good, and faithful and true!

If God calls you to something, he will give you the ability to do it. If he asks you to step out in faith, then don’t fear the emptiness ahead, he will make sure there is somewhere to plant your feet. He will show you the next step in his perfect timing. Trust him!

 

 

Are you making the most of the 

quieter seasons?

 

It’s been a very busy past few weeks here in our little part of the world. Not only have we finally begun to get some much-needed work for our business, but, more importantly, we’ve welcomed two new grandbabies into the family!

It has been a very busy season in our lives, and although the days have been a hectic juggle of work and family commitments, it has been a real blessing to have been able to spend so much time with the little ones God has given us as grandparents. I’ve loved every minute of it and wouldn’t change it at all, if I had to do it over again.

But, in looking back over the past few weeks, I’ve realised what it was that I missed most of all. Of the things I’ve missed during this time, the one thing that I longed for, has been my time of quietness spent alone with the Lord. It’s not that I’ve neglected reading my Bible or listening to a sermon or reading a devotional, but there just hasn’t been time for longer periods of study and quietness.

I need the water of God’s Word soaking into my heart and mind each and every day to quench my thirsty soul. I can see now that I could have used my time more wisely to allow for more time in the Word, less time scrolling on the phone, and more time turning the pages of the only book guaranteed to bring peace and comfort and rest. I think, at the end of every day, we realise that there are always a few minutes, or possibly even hours, that we could have used better.

Lately, I’ve felt like I’m being pulled in so many different directions at once that I’m not exactly sure which direction I was headed in the first place. Anyone else out there feeling like that? The dreams and ambitions I had, have somewhat faded into the distance and left me wondering if they are something I’m supposed to be doing after all.

Can I be real here? There are always going to be seasons in your life where it just all feels too hard. The struggle is real and it’s all you can do to put one foot in front of the other without falling flat on your face.

But you know what? God is still there. It doesn’t matter if you can’t see him, feel his presence, or hear his answers. He promises to be there with you, and he NEVER breaks his promise. And one of the best ways to know this, is to be in his Word daily and talk to him in prayer often. If you’re listening, he will speak. Even when you’re not, he still speaks, longing for you to listen.

Despite the busyness of your life, despite the circumstances you find yourself struggling through, he is there, walking beside you, ready to pick you up if you fall, ready to lead you through those dark valleys, ready to speak words of comfort into your heart. But if you’re not tuned in, getting into the Word, speaking to him and if you’re not walking as close as you can to him, you’re going to feel very alone.

Time spent in God’s Word is never wasted. God promises that his Word will not return void, or empty. God will not only use it to bless you today, but he will use it to sustain you in the future.

Isaiah 55:10-11  For as the rain cometh down, and the snow from heaven, and returneth not thither, but watereth the earth, and maketh it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower, and bread to the eater: So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.

If you are in God’s Word daily, you will find yourself being blessed and encouraged not only today, but also in future seasons of life when the busyness threatens to crush you and you find yourself with less time on your hands than you would like. Those seasons when it’s a struggle to fit in a decent quiet time with the Lord, the days when you are emotional and feeling torn and pulled apart, the days where life is overwhelming and the waves are high overhead, the days where you physically, emotionally and mentally have absolutely nothing left to give and all you can do is fall into bed exhausted and totally done.

It’s during these times, that the Word of God that you have sown in your heart and the prayers you have prayed in times past, are a comfort to your soul. You may not have the time to spend more than a few minutes in his Word, but God will bring to remembrance verses of scripture, or lessons you learned from a sermon, or words to a worship song. He will speak to your heart from your past quiet times. And you will be blessed all over again.

I guess what I’m trying to say is this, don’t get discouraged and frustrated when life is interrupted by divine appointment. Learn to lean on God and trust the process, remembering that he is all-knowing and has everything in his hand and he will bring you through.

Make a choice to make the most of the seasons of rest or quieter times, taking time to study God’s Word, memorizing scripture, or taking notes from a sermon so you have it there ready to pull up and read over when time doesn’t allow for longer study. Save those worship songs to your playlist. The ones that speak to your soul and have you worshipping the Lord in praise and thankfulness. Highlight the verses in your Bible that really speak to you and encourage you, so that you can find them easily when time is short. Make a special folder to save those devotionals that really resonated with you and helped get you through tough times.

Do whatever you can to store up treasures for those winter seasons. And then, when the busy times come, you will be prepared and you will be nourished, encouraged, comforted, fed and blessed once again.

If you’re in one of those busy seasons right now, take heart, it won’t last forever. God will bring a time of rest, but with that time, choose to thirst after God’s Word and dig in deeper, storing up treasure to be reached into and pulled out in those days of clamour and busyness.

Be like the Psalmist that made a conscious choice to seek the Lord early. ”O God, thou art my God; early will I seek thee”: I like to interpret this verse by reminding myself that I need to be in the Word before the busy times. Before I am in need of comfort. Before I need encouraging. Before life becomes too much.  Being prepared ahead of time, so that I have the Words of the Lord hidden in my heart, ready for those times of drought.

Psalm 63:1 O God, thou art my God; early will I seek thee: my soul thirsteth for thee, my flesh longeth for thee in a dry and thirsty land, where no water is;

We need to desire more than anything else, God’s Word and God’s presence. It really is more precious than gold and it is so much sweeter than honeycomb.

Psalm 19:7, 9-10 The law of the LORD is perfect, converting the soul: the testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple. ... The fear of the LORD is clean, enduring for ever: the judgments of the LORD are true and righteous altogether. More to be desired are they than gold, yea, than much fine gold: sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb.

 

Psalm 119:11

Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee.

Take the time now, you won’t regret it! You never know when those crazy days will come, and you will need to draw from the well that you’ve been filling up over time spent with God. Fill it up. Draw it out. Keep filling, keep drawing.

 

 

 

 

Don’t Wait for the Quiet

 

In going over some old articles of mine from a few years ago, I came across one I had written on the subject of quiet time. It resonated with me in this particular season of my life, and I feel it is worth editing and reposting it, praying that it will be a help and a blessing to my readers.

 

As the girls were growing up, life was anything but quiet! As the sun peeked over the horizon, and the morning light filtered through the window, the cares of the day began to press in. A baby needing to be fed, a toddler crying, dishes to wash, baking to be done, tidying, dusting, sweeping, home-schooling to be started for the day and on and on it went.

 

Pretty soon, that much needed time alone with God was pushed aside and the distractions of life took over. I was always searching for that elusive 'piece of quiet' to sit and calmly take in what God wanted to say to me for that day. And before I knew it, the sun was setting, and another day had gone by without my soul being fed from the Word of God.

 

I always excused my lack of attention to studying the Word of God, to the fact that I didn’t have any ‘quiet’ to do it in. And when the quiet finally came, after everyone was asleep and settled for the night, I was just plain exhausted and longing for a peaceful, uninterrupted night’s sleep. I didn’t have anything left in me to spend focused time with the Lord.

 

But, over the years I have come to realise that it is God that supplies the quiet, we just need to supply the time. God doesn't expect us to come to Him with a quiet spirit in order to have a quiet time.

 

We come to him with our cup overflowing with confusion, worries, troubles, disappointments, and He graciously and lovingly pours it out and fills our cup with His peace and love and joy. He knows that life is busy and sometimes we're overwhelmed with our to do list. But if we would just stop for a moment, give God some of our precious time, He would bring the quiet that is needed into our hearts.

 

In looking back, I regret the times I spent reading a novel while the kids were having an afternoon nap, when I could have spent even a few minutes reading God’s Word and maybe some much needed time in prayer.

 

Now, I’m not saying that every moment free that you have, you are to spend in worship and quietness, alone with the Lord. God wants us to enjoy simple pleasures and hobbies we may have. But he also longs for us to give him a portion of every day, just sitting and meditating on his Word. Learning from him, worshipping him, praising him.

 

Matthew 11:28-30

Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.

 

Did you know that this hurry and worry and exhaustion we experience in our day to day lives is nothing new? Over 2000 years ago, the Lord Jesus had to remind the people of that day to come unto him and rest.

 

We are not the first generation to struggle with this. You are not alone in finding time to rest and refresh. You are not alone in the endless cycle of busyness and the difficulty it is to carve out a few minutes in your day, dedicated to having a quiet time with the Lord.

 

Our quiet time is a gift from God. He wants us to come alone into His presence and bring our cares to Him. The quietness comes from our relationship with Him, coming to Him and letting Him rearrange our thought processes. He calms the inner storms and brings His peace, the peace that only He can give.

 

Sometimes we only have 5 minutes to give to Him, we pour out our cares and He pours in His peace. Other times, we have an hour to give to God and these times can be so beautiful and refreshing to our souls.

 

We need to remember that we don't need to 'find quiet' in order to draw near to God, we just need to be willing to come to Him with a humble heart and ask Him to bring the quiet that we need so desperately.

 

It’s all in our attitude and our willingness to take that first step. The step that says, “I’ll put down my book for a few minutes, I’ll stop endlessly scrolling on my phone, I’ll settle the kids down with a book or some activity, I’ll ignore my texts for a few minutes” and take some time to spend with God. We have to make a choice to come to him and rest.

 

I know for me, when the girls were little, I would make excuses for not having a quiet time. It just wasn't quiet. I thought I had to have quiet in order for God to hear me. God hears us even in the middle of a cyclone and yes, sometimes it felt like that kind of chaos.

 

It really is a heart issue. Bringing our hearts in tune with God. Waiting on Him. Having an attitude of humbleness and meekness. In the middle of all the clamour, calling out to Him to bring His peace. We have to desire to spend time with him and make a choice to sit down and learn from him, despite what is going on around us.

 

We need to stop what we’re doing, and sit down, mentally and physically, whether it’s quiet or not, and begin reading the Word and letting God speak to our hearts. Even a verse or two can be meditated on all day long.

 

Regardless of what season of life you find yourself in, whether you have small children running about, or you’re busy with your career or maybe you have adult children like myself, it’s so important to make time for God. It’s imperative that you force yourself, despite how you’re feeling, to sit and listen to the Lord, resting in him, letting the burdens slide off your weary shoulders, laying all your cares on him and letting him refresh your soul.

 

1 Peter 5:7 Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.

 

I am blessed now to finally be able to spend that hour alone with God, without distraction, but oh what peace I could have enjoyed if only I had realised that I needed to give God my time and He would have brought the quiet.

 

We are so blessed with the ability, through technology, to be able to listen to the Bible being read aloud as we go about our day. We are blessed with Godly music to listen to, to sooth our souls. We are blessed with sermons we can listen to at the touch of a button. I make use of these regularly, but it should never take the place of concentrated time with Him.

 

It really is a privilege to be able to spend time with God. It shouldn’t be a chore or a duty. It should be something we long for and look forward to and can’t live without. It’s amazing to think that the God of the universe, the Creator of the world, the Saviour of mankind, seeks to have a close and intimate relationship with us, undeserving sinners that we are.

 

We often quote this verse and even know it as a song, but have you really thought about it in relation to your quiet time?

 

Matthew 6:33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.

 

It really is true, that if we seek him first, taking time to fellowship with him, he will take care of everything. ALL these things. What things? The preceding verses speak of food and drink and clothing, but I think it encompasses everything!

 

Taking time out to meditate on His Word will change your days. It will bring perspective; it will bring peace and comfort. It will give you direction and wisdom. You will still face difficulties and trials, but you will have the calm assurance that you are facing them with the Lord by your side.

 

Don’t wait for quiet to have a quiet time. Take that first step and let God bring the quiet. Step out in faith and rejoice in what he can do! Bring him the little that you have and watch him multiply it!

 

You supply the time, and God will supply the quiet!