Take Comfort in the Word of God

Psalm 61:1-4 Hear my cry, O God; attend unto my prayer. From the end of the earth will I cry unto thee, when my heart is overwhelmed: lead me to the rock that is higher than I. For thou hast been a shelter for me, and a strong tower from the enemy. I will abide in thy tabernacle for ever: I will trust in the covert of thy wings. Selah.

Well, I’m not even sure where to start! I just know that there is encouragement in the scripture for these trying times and that I can’t get to my gigantic pile of chores and errands until I search the scriptures a little more and write down a word of encouragement (even if it’s only me that needs it).

In the past week, the world has descended into utter chaos and yes, it has even reached our little part of the world here in Katherine.

I awoke this morning with a feeling of anxiousness. A fear, slowly welling up deep inside of my being. A restlessness. Turmoil.

I knew this wasn’t a good way to start my day, but business called, and I had to make it through my busy day, dealing with people, rushing here and there, and all without letting the chaos overwhelm me.

I didn’t have time for my usual quiet time with the early start, and so, as I made my deliveries around town, I let my Bible app read the Psalms to me.

Oh, what blessed comfort the Word of God can bring to the troubled heart. Before long, I felt my spirits rise and the tears welled up in my eyes as I thought of my faithlessness and my doubting.

As the reading got to Psalm 61, I had to stop and note down where the passage I was hearing was found so I could go over it again later.

I found myself meditating on the passage and pondering over the strength we find in its verses.

If you are feeling overwhelmed today, if you are doubting, if you are lacking in faith, if you are finding it hard to trust God’s hand, then take heart, God has comfort for your soul.

Read over this portion of scripture again.

Psalm 61:1-4 Hear my cry, O God; attend unto my prayer. From the end of the earth will I cry unto thee, when my heart is overwhelmed: lead me to the rock that is higher than I. For thou hast been a shelter for me, and a strong tower from the enemy. I will abide in thy tabernacle for ever: I will trust in the covert of thy wings. Selah.

I found many strong things in these verses.

A rock. A shelter. A strong tower. A tabernacle. Wings.

I see all these things as symbols of safety. Protection. Refuge.

A rock symbolizes strength, and we know that God is our rock.

Psalm 18:2 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.

He is a shelter for us, a place to run to. Somewhere safe we can hide. He is a strong tower. Not just a tower to take refuge in, but a STRONG tower!

What about the reference to the tabernacle? In Old Testament times, the tabernacle was the place where God dwelt among his people. It was a portable place of worship, God was there.

And wings.” I will trust in the covert of thy wings.” God’s wings are a protection over us.

Psalm 91:4 He shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings shalt thou trust:

 his truth shall be thy shield and buckler.

Psalm 36:7 How excellent is thy lovingkindness, O God!

Therefore the children of men put their trust under the shadow of thy wings.

If you’ve ever seen a mother hen sheltering her baby chicks under her wings, you are able to get just a little glimpse of how God shelters us with His mighty arm of protection.

In these uncertain times, and as we look around at the circumstances, it’s not easy to see God. We can become fearful, anxious and doubting. But God is still God and He never changes. He is in control and we have only to trust Him and not waver in our faith.

It’s a lot easier to say this than to do it. We know the promises in the Bible. We know that God is in control, but when it really comes down to it, we are called upon to put our faith into action. What a time to draw close to God. What a time to see if you really believe those promises!

There are over 300 verses in the Bible telling us to ‘fear not’. I think God wants us to really get a hold of the fact that we don’t have to fear. If we have Him living in our heart and we are walking close by His side, we don’t have to have a spirit of fear. He will bring peace to our souls.

One of my favourite verses in the Bible is found in the book of Isaiah.

Isaiah 43:2 When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee.

God allows us to go through things in our lives that are not comfortable. They’re not pleasant. They are stressful, they are frightening. But if you allow Him to, He will do a purifying work in your heart and you will come through the other side, praising Him for His goodness and protection over you.

Although we don’t understand why this is happening in our world right now, we can be comforted in knowing that God knew about it long before we heard of it and that He is sovereign and holy and righteous and knows what He’s doing and is in control of the situation.

Don’t take my word for it. Search the scriptures for yourself and dig up the precious promises that God has for you. There are so many that I could be here for a year, but you will get a lot more out of it if you get into your Bible and study them out yourself. And when you do, share them with others. There is a world out there that needs hope. We need to share the good news of the gospel with them. We need to be faithful Christians that can show a lost world that we can live without fear.

Trust Him. Stay faithful. Don’t fear. Don’t doubt.

Philippians 4:7 And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding,

shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

” DON’T DOUBT IN THE DARK, WHAT YOU KNOW IN THE LIGHT”

 Man Pleaser or God Pleaser?

Galatians 1:10

 For do I now persuade men, or God? or do I seek to please men?

 for if I yet pleased men, I should not be the servant of Christ.

In following on from my last post, “Get Excited”, I wanted to look at something that each and everyone of us has to struggle with almost every day. The choice we make to be a man-pleaser or a God-pleaser. 

As I wrote about worshipping the Lord through song and singing heartily to the Lord and getting excited by the messages that are found in the hymns and choruses we sing, I began to think about the many times we become afraid to follow God’s leading because of the fear of man. 

We are naturally bent towards pleasing man. But God would have us focus on pleasing Him. The actual word “menpleasers” is only found twice in scripture. In Ephesians and in Colossians. 

Ephesians 6:6 Not with eyeservice, as menpleasers; but as the servants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart;

Colossians 3:22 Servants, obey in all things your masters according to the flesh; not with eyeservice, as menpleasers; but in singleness of heart, fearing God:

It has the meaning of, ‘studying to please man, courting the favour of men’.  

I sometimes think that we as women, are more prone to be man pleasers.  For some reason, we seem to care a whole lot more about what people think about us than men do. I know that’s not always the case, but you have only to look at Instagram and Facebook and other social media platforms to see that there are a lot of people out there seeking man’s favour and appreciation. We’re worried about our weight. Our hair. Our clothes. The way people see our families. The expectations of others weighs heavily upon our shoulders. We have become man pleasers. 

I am saddened to think that we have become such a generation of lovers of self and pleasers of man that we have forgotten the One who we should be striving to please. God. He is the one we ought to be looking to for favour and appreciation and love and attention. 

We are often afraid to be ourselves for fear others will laugh or mock. We’re afraid to sing out wholeheartedly to the Lord. We’re afraid to speak up for the Lord publicly, even though we know it’s the right thing to do. We’re afraid to pray in front of others, worried that if we truly prayed with our whole hearts and talked to the Lord as we do privately, some may laugh and think we’re over the top and too charismatic. I’m not joking here, it is a very real thing in prayer meetings all over the world. We feel inadequate and think that our prayers are not as polished as the veteran Christian praying with us. Maybe we think we need to use more ‘thees’ and ‘thous’. You know what I say? Who cares? As long as God is happy with my prayer and it is prayed sincerely and from my heart unto Him, then I don’t care what you think of my delivery and my emotion that flows from my heart and out of my mouth. 

That may sound callous and unfeeling and I don’t mean to offend, but I think it’s time we stopped worrying about what others think and start being concerned about what God thinks!

I’m so glad that God sees our hearts.  I’m so glad that I can strive to be a God pleaser and not be afraid of what others think. Yes, it’s taken many years to get to this point, and of course there are still times that I hold back because of the fear of man, but there, in the back of my mind, I remember that I ought to obey God rather than men and that I really want His favour and His blessing on my life. It’s more important to me that I be concerned with what God thinks of me rather than what others think of me. 

And you know an amazing thing? By striving to please God, you will please who He wants you to please. In obeying God, we end up pleasing who we should please and not who we think we should be pleasing. Does that make sense? 

Don’t be overly concerned with pleasing others. But DO be overly concerned with pleasing God. Make it your wholehearted desire to please God in all things. In everything you do. Don’t think about what others may think. If you know you are doing what God wants you to do, then let go of the notion that you need ‘likes’ and ‘thumbs up’ and praise for all you do. 

John 12:42-43 Nevertheless among the chief rulers also many believed on him; but because of the Pharisees they did not confess him, lest they should be put out of the synagogue: For they loved the praise of men more than the praise of God.

Notice here in this passage that many believed on the Lord but would not confess Him because of the fear of man. The loved the praise of men just too much! Does that bring to mind anything in your life lately that you have held back from because of wanting praise and knowing that if you did that thing, you wouldn’t get the praise you craved? 

Proverbs 16:7 When a man's ways please the LORD, he maketh even his enemies to be at peace with him.

This verse in Proverbs reminds us that if we are busy pleasing the Lord, even our enemies become our friends. How does that work? I don’t understand how the Lord works sometimes or even what exactly He means by what He says in His Word, but I do know, that I don’t have to understand it all, I only have to obey! 

Now, I do have to say a little here on care for others, just in case you are thinking that I am uncaring and heartless. We do have to have care for others and we need to love others. We have to be careful that we don’t cause others to stumble and we need to show love and compassion. We don’t want to have an “I don’t care” attitude when it comes to showing love, but we should have an “I don’t care what others think as long as I am doing what the Lord wants me to do and doing it with love” attitude! 

What relationship is the most important to you? Is it your followers on Instagram? Is it your family? Or is it God? If your heart is truly focused on your relationship with God, then what others think of you will become less and less important and what God thinks of you will become more and more important. Pleasing God will take centre stage. The accolades of others will fade into the background. As you draw closer to Him, all the other voices will not matter. Yes, they will still scream for attention, but you will able to silence them as you step out in obedience to Christ. 

So, when you sing at church, when you dress differently than others because you care about modesty, when you speak out about what God has done in your life, do it wholeheartedly! Don’t worry about what others think. Don’t let others dictate to you how you should act. Let the Lord be the ultimate guide and judge. Let Him be the one you follow. Let Him be the one you listen to. Let His voice override all other voices. Listen for His still, small voice amongst the clamour of the world. Tune your heart to Him. Focus on your relationship with Him. Draw close to Him. The closer you are to Him the easier it will be to hear His voice. 

Be a God pleaser NOT a man pleaser!

Get Excited

Does anyone else get so excited about the things of the Lord while listening to or singing good Christian music? Do you feel like shouting, “Hallelujah”! at the top of your voice?

Do the words to a song lift your heart in such a way that you can’t help but close your eyes and think about God’s goodness and love that he showers upon your life?

Often times, on a Sunday morning, during the song service, I get so caught up in the meaning of the songs we sing, that I feel like shouting out loud and praising God with words of praise! I want to yell, “Amen!” and “Praise God!”.

During these times, I lift my voice to Him and I don’t care who’s listening. I don’t care that I may not be able to reach those high notes. I don’t care that my voice warbles and doesn’t quite stay on the note. I’m not singing for anyone except the Lord. He alone deserves my praise. He is the one that wants to hear me worship Him through song.

And yes, some may look at me and roll their eyes (and they do), and some may whisper something to the person next to them and snicker quietly (and they do),  but all I feel is pity for them. Pity that they are not able to get so caught up with thinking on spiritual things that all they can do is be critical. They sing their songs by heart, not even stopping to really think about what the words are saying and how they might apply them to their lives. They go through the motions. Stand up. Sit down. Shake the hand next to you. Sing a verse. Sing a chorus. Amen.

But where is there fire? Where is there zeal? Where is their excitement? Where is their passion for the things of the Lord? Is there not just a little spark of joy that wells in their hearts as they sing their songs of worship? Can they really sing the songs with no feeling whatsoever?

I see a lot from my vantage point up the front while playing the piano of a Sunday morning. I don’t think people realize how often I look around at the faces of the people in the congregation. (watch out, I could be looking at you!)

I look out and see people that are hurting. People that are in pain. I see people who are totally indifferent. But I also get to see the joyful faces. The faces of those who are really meaning what they’re singing, and it shows on their face. You can see that they are not just singing the words off by heart, mouthing without expression. No. They are excited. They are worshipping the Lord in song. And interestingly enough, often, these people don’t have the most beautiful voices. They are not trained singers. They don’t know how to sing parts. But they know the joy of the Lord and it comes out in their worship to Him through song.

There are times I can’t stop the tears streaming down my face as I play the piano. My vision blurs and I can’t see the hymn book through my tears, but God guides my fingers and keeps my hands moving while I close my eyes and worship him. I think seriously about the words I’m singing and what they mean to me personally and I am overwhelmed by God’s love and mercy to me, a poor and wretched sinner in need of a Saviour. 

I think of His Amazing Grace and His Wonderful Love and His Everlasting Peace and the Burdens that He lifted at Calvary. I think of Heaven and the joy it will be to live with the Lord forever. I think of the time I have here on this earth and how it will be worth it all, when we see Jesus.

Passages regarding music are found in many places in the Bible. God knows the importance of music and the way it can help us. Remember Saul and the effect music had on him as David played his harp for him.

1 Samuel 16:23 And it came to pass, when the evil spirit from God was upon Saul, that David took an harp, and played with his hand: so Saul was refreshed, and was well, and the evil spirit departed from him.

And then we have the priests who praised the Lord so joyfully, that they couldn’t even minister because of the house being filled with a cloud because of the glory of the Lord filling the place! Oh, that that would happen on a Sunday Morning in our churches!

2 Chronicles 5:12-14 Also the Levites which were the singers, all of them of Asaph, of Heman, of Jeduthun, with their sons and their brethren, being arrayed in white linen, having cymbals and psalteries and harps, stood at the east end of the altar, and with them an hundred and twenty priests sounding with trumpets:) It came even to pass, as the trumpeters and singers were as one, to make one sound to be heard in praising and thanking the LORD; and when they lifted up their voice with the trumpets and cymbals and instruments of musick, and praised the LORD, saying, For he is good; for his mercy endureth for ever: that then the house was filled with a cloud, even the house of the LORD; So that the priests could not stand to minister by reason of the cloud: for the glory of the LORD had filled the house of God.

I wrote a series of articles on praise in song a couple of years back and I was amazed to read of all the times that music is mentioned in the Bible.

We are continually reminded to praise God in song.

Psalm 98:1 O sing unto the LORD a new song; for he hath done marvellous things: his right hand, and his holy arm, hath gotten him the victory.

Psalm 96:1 O sing unto the LORD a new song: sing unto the LORD, all the earth.

Psalm 40:3 And he hath put a new song in my mouth, even praise unto our God: many shall see it, and fear, and shall trust in the LORD.

When we are walking with the Lord and praising Him as we should, He will put a song in our mouth and we will want to sing it. We won’t care who’s listening. We will just want to praise Him.

So, can I encourage you, as you stand to sing at church or wherever it may be, that you sing from your heart? Read over the words carefully as you sing them. Take time to really think about their meaning. Give thanks to God as you sing. Lift up your voices unto the Lord. Don’t be afraid of what people may think. Only be concerned at what God would think as you sing. Sing unto Him. Close your eyes if you need to. Or sing louder if you’re so excited about God’s working in your life that you can’t help but shout it!  Praise Him for what is to come. The promise of eternal life. A life where we will never tire of praising Him. An eternity of worshipping Him.

Get excited about what God has done for you and don’t be afraid of showing your excitement through your worship of Him through song. 

So yes, if you visit our church, you will find me singing and playing unashamedly, wholeheartedly and loudly unto the Lord and no, it won’t bother me if you roll your eyes or snicker. I’m not doing it for your enjoyment, I’m doing it for the Lord!

Psalm 98:4-8 Make a joyful noise unto the LORD, all the earth: make a loud noise, and rejoice, and sing praise. Sing unto the LORD with the harp; with the harp, and the voice of a psalm. With trumpets and sound of cornet make a joyful noise before the LORD, the King. Let the sea roar, and the fulness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein. Let the floods clap their hands: let the hills be joyful together.

Beautiful music is the art of the prophets that can calm the agitations of the soul; it is one of the most magnificent and delightful presents God has given us.

- Martin Luther

Exceeding Abundantly Above All

Ephesians 3:20-21 Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us, Unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen.

Have you ever stopped to really take in the meaning of this passage in Ephesians?

If you’ve never read it or never REALLY read it, do so now. Then read it again. And again. Go ahead. I’ll wait. 

Now. What jumped out at you as you read these words from the Apostle Paul? These verses are part of a prayer by Paul to the church at Ephesus. 

Ephesians 3:14 For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,

Paul prays for the saints at Ephesus that they may be strengthened by the Spirit, that Christ would dwell in their hearts, that they would be able to comprehend God’s amazing love to them and that they would be filled with the fulness of God. 

And then, he writes these powerful words that we find in verse 20. 

Ephesians 3:20 Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us

The thing that jumps out at me in this verse is God’s ability to do EXCEEDING ABUNDANTLY ABOVE ALL! 

The Greek word used for exceeding, is the word ‘hyper’.  If any of you ladies reading this have a very active child, you will know all about that word hyper. It has the idea of over, above and beyond. Hyperactive children don’t just do things. They DO things! Over, above and beyond what you expect. Nothing done half-heartedly. It’s over the top. 

And strangely enough, Paul uses the Greek word again, in the same verse. He uses it for the word ‘above’. So, we have 2 hypers in the same verse! That’s seriously hyper!  I think Paul wants us to really grasp this idea of God giving us so much more than we ask. 

Paul describes God as a God who can do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think.

So, God doesn’t just do and give what we ask or think, but He goes beyond. Over and above. He gives exceeding abundantly above.  We can’t even begin to understand what God can do. 

Matthew Henry puts it like this:

“There is an inexhaustible fulness of grace and mercy in God, which the prayers of all the saints can never draw dry. Whatever we may ask, or think to ask, still God is still able to do more, abundantly more, exceedingly abundantly more. Open thy mouth ever so wide, still he hath wherewithal to fill it.”

Just knowing that my God can do more than I ever ask is amazing, but did you notice that it’s not just what we ask but also what we think? Poof! Mind blowing moment! 

 We don’t even have to ask it, and He sees into our hearts and our minds, and goes over, above and beyond to do exceeding abundantly, to do even what we think and haven’t even verbalised yet! 

How many times have you prayed for something small, just a little thing, and God answered, and you thought to yourself, “Oh! I wish I had asked for more”. We pray our small prayers, hoping for a little drop of blessing and God pours out a colossal river of blessing from His vast treasure house and our puny, little bucket overflows, spilling out and filling others lives as we share what God has done.  And we’re left wishing we had lifted a swimming pool to heaven and asked for that to be filled! 

God answers over and above all that we ask or think. He doesn’t just answer, He ANSWERS! And He doesn’t just bless, He BLESSES! His grace and mercy are inexhaustible. Unfathomable. Immeasurable. Incalculable. Incomprehensible.  

But wait there’s more! God’s abundance is not limited to only a few. It never runs out! His wellspring of blessing is everlasting. It is unending. Unlimited. Boundless. So this means, that no matter how many blessings He showers upon other’s lives, there is still enough for me. For you. For everyone. We don’t have to fear that His supply will run out. There’s no need to worry that by the time He comes to us, there is only a drop left. No! EXCEEDING ABUNDANT! 

In the story of the 5 loaves and 2 fishes, God not only performed a miracle, but He ‘hyper’ performed it! He made sure that everyone was fed and that everyone was fed well.

Matthew 14:20 And they did all eat, and were filled: and they took up of the fragments that remained twelve baskets full.

There was an abundance of food. Enough for everyone there that day to be filled and then some! It’s interesting that God caused there to be 12 baskets full of leftovers. There were 12 disciples weren’t there? Hmmm. Food for thought. 

These last 2 verses of Ephesians 3 are the end of the prayer for the church at Ephesus and here Paul sets a good example for us. Notice he is ending the prayer with praise. Praise to an awesome God. In verse 20, he describes God and what he is able to do and then in verse 21 he gives God all the praise. 

Ephesians 3:21 Unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen.

It’s a good habit to get into. That of concluding our prayers with praise. Yes, praise should play a large part in every aspect of our praying, but to end our prayers with praise and thankfulness to God will bring glory to His name and have you rising from your knees with a grateful heart and a spring in your step. 

So, I want to encourage you to keep this verse in your minds and in your hearts and remember that God is able. 

It doesn’t matter what struggles you may be facing, what burdens you may be carrying, what trials you may be suffering through, God is able to do exceeding abundantly above all!  It doesn’t matter how big or how small your prayers are, He is able. 

Psalm 81:10  I am the LORD thy God, which brought thee out of the land of Egypt: open thy mouth wide, and I will fill it.

Take heart. Trust in His promises. Wait on the Lord. Watch God work. 

And when He does, give Him all the glory. 

Revelation 7:12 Saying, Amen: Blessing, and glory, and wisdom, and thanksgiving, and honour, and power, and might, be unto our God for ever and ever. Amen.

Just Some Thoughts………..

I love to write. I love to speak. But sometimes, despite all my study and all my time spent alone with God, it’s as if I come up blank. I know there are things He has taught me from His Word, and I know there are things I want to share with others, but I seem to draw a blank at what it is I’m to write about or speak about.

I’ve recently been studying for our monthly Ladies Bible Study here in Katherine and also praying about what God would have me speak on at the Mum Heart Conference in Dundee, NT in March.

I don’t want to just write or speak for the sake of it. God has taught me so many things in these past few years and many of the lessons I have had to learn came through sore trials and pain and suffering. But it is often the fire that is needed in our lives. The purifying work that God does. We don’t like it, but it is needed. The storms, when all we want is calm. The work, when all we want is rest. The pain, when all we want is comfort.

I love it that God always knows what is best for us and that He sees the bigger picture and knows what it is we need as opposed to what we want.

My life has never been as busy as it is right now. I have never had so many things to attend to, so many hats to wear, so many commitments to fulfill. But in all the busyness, God can still bring calm. I recently read this quote,

“Sometimes God calms the storm.

Sometimes He lets the storm rage and calms His child.”

Wow! Isn’t that true? The storm rages all about us and we cry out to God to stop the storm. Stop the busyness. Stop the craziness, the screaming schedules, the pulling from every direction. But no, He lets the storm rage and begins to calm His child.

“Calmness doesn’t mean the absence of activity,

but rather the clear reality of God being in control at all times.”

He is in control and whether we can see His hand or not, we can trust Him. The tumult of the world rages on about us, our schedules scream, but we can be as calm as a leaf, floating on an absolutely glassy surface of water. And that calmness is inside of us. He brings His peace to our soul. He calms our struggling, our restlessness, our minds and our hearts. But only if we let Him. He longs to hear us cry out to Him. He wants us to come to Him.

Psalm 107:28-30 Then they cry unto the LORD in their trouble, and he bringeth them out of their distresses. He maketh the storm a calm, so that the waves thereof are still. Then are they glad because they be quiet; so he bringeth them unto their desired haven.

Maybe one of the reasons I can’t find exactly what God wants me to write or speak about, is the fact that I am not letting Him calm my heart. I am expecting Him to give me something while I rush about. On the run. “Toss me something Lord, while I run by, I don’t have time to stop! I’m too busy!”

I need to take the time to sit. To meditate on His Word. To spend time in earnest prayer. Asking God for peace. Begging Him for wisdom.

As much as we women like to say we’re too busy, we seem to make time for the things that bring us pleasure. It may be friends, social media, hobbies, even exercise! But taking the time to sit down bodily, and in heart and mind and focus on listening to God speaking to us is often pushed aside.

A little saying that I have been trying to keep in my mind constantly is,

“Instead of saying, ‘I don’t have the time’, try saying, ‘It’s not a priority’, and see how that changes things”

When we realize that it’s our priorities that need to be put in order and it’s not a matter of running out of time, the rubber really hits the road.

God only gave us 24 hours in the day, and while we may think we need so many more, He knew from the beginning of time how many hours we would need.

As busy wives and mothers, we rush about, trying to fit everything into the 24 hours, sometimes not stopping to ask how God would have us fill it. It’s no wonder we feel so stressed and frazzled. Who better than God knows how to fill those hours?  God is bigger than our day to day problems. His wisdom is beyond comprehension. His love and grace are unfathomable. We have only to ask Him.

James 1:5  If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.

Sometimes I start out my day with so many things on my to-do list, that I don’t even know where to start. You may say, ‘start at the beginning’. But where is the beginning? I need to stop, right then and there, and ask God to show me where to begin and where to end and how to fill in the middle.

I will never feel truly satisfied with my day of busyness and interrupted plans unless I let the Lord decide how it should be ordered.

I lay out my list before Him and He gets out His big black marker, and crosses out the unnecessary, and adds in the important, and rearranges the order, sometimes so much so, that I don’t even recognize my list anymore. I may feel frustrated and confused. But I stop and take time to listen to Him speak, He hears my heart, He knows my longings, my desires and He plans as only He can.

His ways are not my ways. His thoughts are not my thoughts. But I have the comfort in knowing that although it may seem like He’s messed my list all up, or thrown it out altogether, He is omniscient. I can trust Him.

So, ladies, if you’re feeling the need of some calm and order in your day, take the time to sit and ask God to order your day.

I have this little reminder pinned up above my desk and probably need to pin it up in a few more handy places as a reminder:

Stop what you’re doing

Sit down in body, heart and mind

Seek God’s peace and priorities

Start up again

When you feel the storm rising up inside of you and you feel overwhelmed and calmness seems out of reach, take the time to sit. Read through the promises in God’s Word. Pray over your priorities. Listen to God speak. Rise up. Resolved to take God at His Word and trust Him.

Lift your tired eyes, raise your weary head, and press on. Take that next step. And the next one. And the next one. God is there with you.

The storm may rage about you, but God can calm His child.

Philippians 4:6-7 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.

Isaiah 26:3 Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee.