Creation Speaks

For this last day of the year, let me impart hope. This is a picture my son took of a sunset over the place he now resides, a place we are convinced God alone made a way for, a place custom-made, divinely-made for new beginnings.

God holds that kind of place in His heart for every single one of us.

May your hope in God's love and power continue. Never cease bringing those you love before Him and placing them in His hands. When you are weary, ask your comrades in faith to not only pray for your loved one, but also for you. Lean into God for strength and grace.

He is good.
He is wise.
His power is great.
And His love is strong.



"People of Israel,
put your hope in the LORD
because he is loving
and able to save."

Psalm 130:7 NCV



"The LORD is good to those
who hope in him,
to those who seek him."

Lamentations 3:25 NCV

"May our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father

encourage you and strengthen you in every good thing you do and say.

God loved us, and through his grace

he gave us a good hope

and encouragement that continues forever."

2 Thessalonians 2:16-17 NCV

"He acted with a strong hand and powerful arm. His faithful love endures forever."

Psalm 136:12 NLT


Be thankful.

The LORD holds those we love in His mighty hands. God is faithful, He is good, He is all-powerful and His love is strong.


"And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them."

Romans 8:28 NLT


Be thankful. Our God is always and ever working toward the very best eternal outcome.

"For God in all his fullness
was pleased to live in Christ,
and through him God reconciled
everything to himself.
He made peace with everything in heaven and on earth
by means of Christ’s blood on the cross.

This includes you who were once far away from God. You were his enemies, separated from him by your evil thoughts and actions. Yet now he has reconciled you to himself through the death of Christ in his physical body. As a result, he has brought you into his own presence, and you are holy and blameless as you stand before him without a single fault."

Colossians 1:19-22 NLT


Be thankful.

Yes, He is reconciling ALL things to Himself.
Such is His full redemptive work. To redeem in love is His will.  

"We have courage in God's presence,
because we are sure that he hears us if we ask him for anything that is according to his will.
He hears us whenever we ask him; and since we know this is true, we know also that he gives us what we ask from him."

1 John 5:14-15 GNT


Be thankful.

And take courage.

Mighty Savior, when we can't see through the darkness, fill our hearts with what You see.
Renew the sure hope You purchased for us. You are our strength in weakness. Fill us with grace. We trust You, Jesus.


"And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation.
And this hope will not lead to disappointment.
For we know how dearly God loves us, because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love."

Romans 5:4-5 NLT

Molalla River, Oregon

"Thus says the Lord Who made [the earth], the Lord Who formed it to establish it—the Lord is His name:

Call to Me and I will answer you and show you great and mighty things, fenced in and hidden, which you do not know (do not distinguish and recognize, have knowledge of and understand)."

Jeremiah 33:2-3 AMP
 

"Brethren, if any person is overtaken in misconduct or sin of any sort, you who are spiritual [who are responsive to and controlled by the Spirit] should set him right and restore and reinstate him, without any sense of superiority and with all gentleness, keeping an attentive eye on yourself, lest you should be tempted also.

Bear (endure, carry) one another's burdens and troublesome moral faults, and in this way fulfill and observe perfectly the law of Christ (the Messiah) and complete what is lacking [in your obedience to it].

For if any person thinks himself to be somebody [too important to condescend to shoulder another's load] when he is nobody [of superiority except in his own estimation], he deceives and deludes and cheats himself."

                                                                                                                   Galatians 6:1-3 AMP

"God places the lonely in families;

     he sets the prisoners free and gives them joy.

But he makes the rebellious live in a sun-scorched land."

                                                                                                  Psalm 68:6 NLT

 

"Arise, shine, for your light has come,
and the glory of the LORD rises upon you.

See, darkness covers the earth
and thick darkness is over the peoples,
but the LORD rises upon you
and his glory appears over you.

Nations will come to your light,
and kings to the brightness of your dawn.

Lift up your eyes and look about you.
All assemble and come to you;
your sons come from afar,
and your daughters are carried on the hip.

Then you will look and be radiant,
your heart will throb and swell with joy...

Your sun will never set again,
and your moon will wane no more;
the LORD will be your everlasting light,
and your days of sorrow will end.

Then all your people will be righteous
and they will possess the land forever...

"...They are the shoot I have planted,
the work of my hands,
for the display of my splendor.

The least of you will become a thousand,
the smallest a mighty nation.

I am the LORD;
in its time I will do this swiftly."

Isaiah 60:1-5, 20-22 NIV

"Trust in the Lord forever, for the Lord, the Lord himself, is the Rock eternal."

                                                                                                                   Isaiah 26:4 NIV

"Have mercy on me, O God, because of your unfailing love.

                     Because of your great compassion, blot out the stain of my sins...

                                                              Wash me clean from my guilt.       Purify me from my sin.
 

"He gives strength to those who are tired

and more power to those who are weak."

Isaiah 40:29 (NCV)

"... and so I wouldn't get a big head, I was given the gift of [adversity]
to keep me in constant touch with my limitations.

Satan's angel did his best to get me down; what he in fact did was push me to my knees.

No danger then of walking around high and mighty!

At first I didn't think of it as a gift, and begged God to remove it.
Three times I did that, and then he told me,

My grace is enough; it's all you need.

My strength comes into its own in your weakness.

Once I heard that, I was glad to let it happen. I quit focusing on the [adversity] and began appreciating the gift.
It was a case of Christ's strength moving in on my weakness.
Now I take limitations in stride, and with good cheer,
these limitations that cut me down to size—abuse, accidents, opposition, bad breaks.
I just let Christ take over! And so the weaker I get, the stronger I become."

2 Corinthians 12:7-10 The Message  

Fully

Reliant

On

God

"How lovely is your dwelling place,
    O LORD of Heaven's Armies.
I long, yes, I faint with longing
    to enter the courts of the LORD.
With my whole being, body and soul,
    I will shout joyfully to the living God.
Even the sparrow finds a home,
    and the swallow builds her nest
    and raises her young
        at a place near your altar,
    O LORD of Heaven's Armies, my King and my God!
What joy for those who can live in your house,
    always singing your praises.
What joy for those whose strength
    comes from the LORD,
    who have set their minds on a pilgrimage
        to Jerusalem.
When they walk through the Valley of Weeping,
    it will become a place of refreshing springs.
The autumn rains will clothe it with blessings.
They will continue to grow stronger,
    and each of them will appear before God
        in Jerusalem.
O LORD God of Heaven's Armies, hear my prayer.
    Listen, O God of Jacob.
O God, look with favor upon the king, our shield!
    Show favor to the one you have anointed.
A single day in your courts
    is better than a thousand anywhere else!
I would rather be a gatekeeper in the house of my God
    than live the good life in the homes of the wicked.

"...for you are a chosen people. You are royal priests, a holy nation, God's very own possession.

As a result, you can show others the goodness of God,
for he called you out of the darkness into his wonderful light.

For God is pleased with you when you do what you know is right and patiently endure unfair treatment.
Of course, you get no credit for being patient if you are beaten for doing wrong.
But if you suffer for doing good and endure it patiently, God is pleased with you.

For God called you to do good, even if it means suffering, just as Christ suffered for you.
He is your example, and you must follow in his steps."

1 Peter 2:9b, 19-21 NLT  

...To illustrate the point further, Jesus told them this story:

A man had two sons. The younger son told his father, 'I want my share of your estate now before you die.' So his father agreed to divide his wealth between his sons.

A few days later this younger son packed all his belongings and moved to a distant land, and there he wasted all his money in wild living. About the time his money ran out, a great famine swept over the land, and he began to starve. He persuaded a local farmer to hire him, and the man sent him into his fields to feed the pigs. The young man became so hungry that even the pods he was feeding the pigs looked good to him. But no one gave him anything.

When he finally came to his senses, he said to himself, 'At home even the hired servants have food enough to spare, and here I am dying of hunger! I will go home to my father and say, Father, I have sinned against both heaven and you, and I am no longer worthy of being called your son. Please take me on as a hired servant.' ..."

"...So he returned home to his father. And while he was still a long way off, his father saw him coming. Filled with love and compassion, he ran to his son, embraced him, and kissed him. His son said to him, 'Father, I have sinned against both heaven and you, and I am no longer worthy of being called your son.'

But his father said to the servants, 'Quick! Bring the finest robe in the house and put it on him. Get a ring for his finger and sandals for his feet. And kill the calf we have been fattening. We must celebrate with a feast, for this son of mine was dead and has now returned to life. He was lost, but now he is found.' So the party began."

Luke 15:1-7, 11-24 NLT 

"Now to Him Who,

by ... the [action of His] power

that is at work within us,

is able to [carry out His purpose and]

do superabundantly,

far over and above all that we [dare] ask

or think

[infinitely beyond our highest prayers,

desires, thoughts, hopes, or dreams]—


To Him be glory in the church

and in Christ Jesus

throughout all generations forever and ever.


Amen (so be it)." 


Ephesians 3:20-21 AMP

All my hopes

All I need

Held in your hands


All my life

All of me

Held in your hands


All my fears

All my dreams

Held in your hands


God whatever comes my way

I will trust you, LORD

"But you, dear friends, must build each other up in your most holy faith,

       pray in the power of the Holy Spirit,

              and await the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ,

                     who will bring you eternal life.

In this way, you will keep yourselves safe in God’s love.


And you must show mercy to those whose faith is wavering.

       Rescue others by snatching them from the flames of judgment.


Show mercy to still others,

       but do so with great caution, hating the sins that contaminate their lives.


Now all glory to God, who is able to keep you from falling away

       and will bring you with great joy into his glorious presence without a single fault.

All glory to him who alone is God, our Savior through Jesus Christ our Lord.

All glory, majesty, power, and authority are his before all time, and in the present, and beyond all time! Amen."

                                                                                                                                                                  Jude 20-25 NLT

"Sing, Daughter Zion;
       shout aloud, Israel!
Be glad and rejoice with all your heart,
       Daughter Jerusalem!
The LORD has taken away your punishment,
       he has turned back your enemy.

The LORD, the King of Israel, is with you;
       never again will you fear any harm.

On that day
       they will say to Jerusalem,
Do not fear, Zion;
       do not let your hands hang limp.

The LORD your God is with you,
       the Mighty Warrior who saves.

He will take great delight in you;
       in his love he will no longer rebuke you,
       but will rejoice over you with singing.

...At that time I will deal
       with all who oppressed you.

I will rescue the lame;
       I will gather the exiles.
I will give them praise and honor
       in every land where they have suffered shame.

At that time I will gather you;

       at that time I will bring you home.

I will give you honor and praise
       among all the peoples of the earth

when I bring back your captives
       before your very eyes,

                            says the LORD."

                                             Zephaniah 3:5, 14-20 NIV

And now the LORD says—
he who formed me in the womb to be his servant
to bring Jacob back to him
and gather Israel to himself,
for I am honored in the eyes of the LORD
and my God has been my strength—

...He says:
'It is too small a thing for you to be my servant
to restore the tribes of Jacob
and bring back those of Israel I have kept.
I will also make you a light for the Gentiles,
that my salvation may reach to the ends of the earth.'

...This is what the LORD says:

'In the time of my favor I will answer you,
and in the day of salvation I will help you;
I will keep you and will make you
to be a covenant for the people,
to restore the land
and to reassign its desolate inheritances,
to say to the captives, 'Come out,'
and to those in darkness, 'Be free!'

...He who has compassion on them will guide them
and lead them beside springs of water.
I will turn all my mountains into roads,
and my highways will be raised up.

...Shout for joy, you heavens;
rejoice, you earth;
burst into song, you mountains!
For the LORD comforts his people
and will have compassion on his afflicted ones.

...I will not forget you!
See, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands...

Then you will know that I am the LORD;
those who hope in me will not be disappointed.

Can plunder be taken from warriors,
or captives be rescued from the fierce?

"Let the morning bring me word of your unfailing love, for I have put my trust in you.

Show me the way I should go, for to you I entrust my life." 

Psalm 143:8 NIV

I don't even know how to go.

I don't even know.

But, Father, You do.

I watch. I wait. I hope. I trust.

You hear my songs in the night.

Surely You take all that I lift to You into Your very heart.

I am confident in Your wisdom, Your power, Your love.

Surely You lead along paths of redemption—

    the highest good bought
                at the highest price.

Yes, my hope remains in You.

"Whether you turn to the right or to the left,

your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying,

'This is the way; walk in it.'"

Isaiah 30:21 NIV

"The LORD is like a father to his children,

tender and compassionate to those who fear him.

For he knows how weak we are;

he remembers we are only dust."

Psalm 103:13-14 NLT

"Great is his faithfulness; his mercies begin afresh each morning."

Lamentations 3:23 NLT 

"This letter is from Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ.
I am writing to God's chosen people...

God the Father knew you and chose you long ago, and his Spirit has made you holy. As a result, you have obeyed him and have been cleansed by the blood of Jesus Christ.

May God give you more and more grace and peace.

All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. It is by his great mercy that we have been born again, because God raised Jesus Christ from the dead.

Now we live with great expectation, and we have a priceless inheritance—an inheritance that is kept in heaven for you, pure and undefiled, beyond the reach of change and decay. And through your faith, God is protecting you by his power until you receive this salvation, which is ready to be revealed on the last day for all to see.

So be truly glad. There is wonderful joy ahead, even though you have to endure many trials for a little while.

These trials will show that your faith is genuine. It is being tested as fire tests and purifies gold—though your faith is far more precious than mere gold. So when your faith remains strong through many trials, it will bring you much praise and glory and honor on the day when Jesus Christ is revealed to the whole world." 

1 Peter 1:1-7 NLT

"God, hear my cry;

     pay attention to my prayer.

I call to You from the ends of the earth

     when my heart is without strength.

Lead me to a rock that is high above me,

     for You have been a refuge for me,

     a strong tower in the face of the enemy."

                                             Psalm 61:1-3 HCSB

Last week my friend, Mary Griswold, wrote to encourage me. Regarding the story of Peter walking on the water with Jesus, she wrote:

"...the main point is that Peter did walk ABOVE the water, ABOVE the circumstances, ABOVE everything, until he took his eyes off of Jesus, but even then Jesus reached down and lifted Peter up by the hand, and together they both walked ABOVE the water to climb back into the boat.            
...there are times when we feel we have so much faith to believe God for everything, until we look at our circumstances, then we begin to sink into the mire of life, cares, concerns, etc. Then Jesus comes along and takes us by the hand and lifts us up to walk in our rightful place, which is beside Him, above the enemy, above the cares of our lives, above everything. If our eyes are fixed upon the Lord, He WILL give us His peace and grace to walk above our situations."

This story and Mary's application rings true for each and every one of us. She encouraged me to read the story myself. When I did, God also caused me to consider the wind. He wanted me to understand that whenever situations arise and begin bearing down on my heart, it is then that it's most important to remember, to realize, it's just the wind. Sure, wind can have the ability to cause damage (toppling trees and homes). And wind has the power to whip up the waves into the enormous, imposing conditions that block my view of Him, and then threaten to take me under. But, compared to God and His eternal purposes and power, well, everything else that does not come from Him is just the wind. One day, it will come to nothing.

Mary also wrote:

"When you cast your care upon the Lord, you DO NOT have Jesus's permission to take them back. Unfortunately, most of us believe that casting our cares upon the Lord is kind of like fishing with a rod and reel. We cast out, and then we reel back in. God's promise to us is, when we leave our cares with Him, He will exchange our worries and concerns with His Peace. And only you can choose to receive His peace." (see 1 Peter 5:7 and Psalm 55:22)

Be assured, God's limitless power reigns in His limitless love and wisdom. Cast your cares upon Him and leave them with Him. Receive His peace beyond all understanding.

Jesus quiets the wind and removes its power over our hearts. In this we must always remember, even if we listen to the wind and find ourselves sinking, He's right there to rescue us... and to command the wind, "Be still!"

Over and over, my Heavenly Father whispers...
"Hope in me... hope in me... hope in me... get back up... hope in me."

Surely, it is He who gently picks up His child time and time again.

Surely, it is He who carries me.

Surely, it is He who breathes new grace for the day, time and time again.

Each day brings another confrontation against the foreboding darkness.

Yet, each day, if I only lift my eyes, He proves faithful to renew His embrace of hope...
...in various vessels... all together encouraging... all together beautiful...

...Renewed hope through a direct impartation of His Living Word in scripture... Renewed hope through a friend calling to encourage and pray... Renewed hope through a preacher sharing across a pulpit... Renewed hope through a friend sharing encouragement across a kitchen table... Renewed hope through a friend sharing encouragement across an ocean... Renewed hope through a line in a book... Renewed hope through a line in a song... Renewed hope through a companion who willingly journeys back in time through my quest for answers, offering a word of truth... Renewed hope through a friend gathering my pain into her own heart, pressing into God on my behalf, then calling to share a glorious encounter...

... Renewed hope through God's still, small voice... He Himself, in the night...

"Hope in me... hope in me... get back up... hope in me."

I need His renewal day by day... for even so... much pain remains in the waiting.

His sword of light pierces into the dark night...

"There is surely a future hope for you, and your hope will not be cut off." Proverbs 23:18 NIV


And to all His own, the LORD Himself promises...

"Those who hope in me will not be disappointed." Isaiah 49:23b NIV


"To lose hope has the same effect on our heart as it would be to stop breathing."
(John Eldredge, The Sacred Romance, p33)


His goodness, His promises, continue urging me on.


If I stand... I stand in hope. And His hope is sure.


"Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen." Hebrews 11:1 KJV


Hope on, dear friends.

You, and all you love, are greatly loved by God.

Greatly. Greatly loved.

Hope on.

The LORD forewarned the prophet Samuel as He sent him on assignment to anoint the next king of Israel after Saul:

"The LORD does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart."(1Samuel 116:7b).

Why did God forewarn Samuel with these words?
Because what Samuel found when God led him to the coming king of Israel was but a shepherd boy.

Following this first encounter with Samuel, this boy stepped forward to slay Goliath when the rest of Israel stood back.

This boy grew up to serve the current king with unbroken loyalty, sparing Saul's life time and again, even though Saul relentlessly sought to kill him.

Long before granted kingship, this shepherd grew into a courageous and victorious warrior – one without equal in all of Israel's history.

Nevertheless, considering all David's mighty acts of valor, we are yet pointed back to his heart (i.e., Acts 13:22). David is most famously noted in the Bible as "a man after God's own heart".

Read on into the history of David's reign and you will find even in the midst of human weakness and failure, a man of profound trust in the sovereignty and justice of the LORD his God.

During his reign, David reforms the nation's spiritual life, including the introduction of music as a prominent part of worship. (Reading David's psalms reveals a passionate and honest heart toward God.) David also restored the Tabernacle of Moses (the transportable tent sanctuary set up during the years in the wilderness) by bringing back the Tabernacle's vital component (which signified the physical place of God's presence with His people), the Ark of the Covenant, which had beforehand been stolen away by enemies.

After firmly establishing his kingdom, we catch yet another glimpse into David's heart:  

And in these times...
...redeemed by His own blood (Eph 2:13) ...adopted as His children (1 John 3:1)...


"Who am I, LORD God... that you have brought me this far? There is no one like you, LORD..." (1 Chronicles 17:16 NIV)

"...when the Son of Man comes, will He find [persistence in] faith on the earth?"

                                                                                                               Luke 18:8 AMP

                                       Yes, come LORD Jesus...

                                                                               and may You find faith ever alive in me.

"And the Holy Spirit also testifies that this is so. For he says,

'This is the new covenant I will make with my people on that day, says the LORD:
I will put my laws in their hearts, and I will write them on their minds.' (Jer 31:33)

Then he says,

'I will never again remember their sins and lawless deeds.' (Jer 31:34)

And when sins have been forgiven, there is no need to offer any more sacrifices.

And so, dear brothers and sisters, we can boldly enter heaven's Most Holy Place because of the blood of Jesus. By his death, Jesus opened a new and life-giving way through the curtain into the Most Holy Place. And since we have a great High Priest who rules over God's house, let us go right into the presence of God with sincere hearts fully trusting him. For our guilty consciences have been sprinkled with Christ's blood to make us clean, and our bodies have been washed with pure water.

Let us hold tightly without wavering to the hope we affirm, for God can be trusted to keep his promise."

                                                                                                                   Hebrews 10:1-4, 8-23 NLT

"...for love waved as a protecting and comforting banner over my head when I was near him."

                                                                                                                   Song of Solomon 2:4 (AMP)

"All this energy issues from Christ: God raised him from death and set him on a throne in deep heaven, in charge of running the universe, everything from galaxies to governments, no name and no power exempt from his rule. And not just for the time being, but forever. He is in charge of it all, has the final word on everything.

At the center of all this, Christ rules the church.

The church, you see, is not peripheral to the world; the world is peripheral to the church.

The church is Christ's body, in which he speaks and acts, by which he fills everything with his presence."

                                                                                                                                                      Ephesians 1:20-23 MSG

"Two others, both criminals, were taken along with him for execution.

When they got to the place called Skull Hill, they crucified him, along with the criminals, one on his right, the other on his left.

Jesus prayed, 'Father, forgive them;
they don't know what they're doing.'

Dividing up his clothes, they threw dice for them. The people stood there staring at Jesus, and the ringleaders made faces, taunting, 'He saved others. Let's see him save himself! The Messiah of God — ha! The Chosen — ha!'

The soldiers also came up and poked fun at him, making a game of it. They toasted him with sour wine:
'So you're King of the Jews! Save yourself!'

Printed over him was a sign:
THIS IS THE KING OF THE JEWS.

One of the criminals hanging alongside cursed him:
'Some Messiah you are! Save yourself! Save us!'

But the other one made him shut up: 'Have you no fear of God? You're getting the same as him. We deserve this, but not him — he did nothing to deserve this.'

Then he said,'Jesus, remember me when you enter your kingdom.'

He said, 'Don't worry, I will.
Today you will join me in paradise.'" 

Luke 23:32-43 MSG

"Since we have a great high priest, Jesus the Son of God, who has gone into heaven,
let us hold on to the faith we have.

For our high priest is able to understand our weaknesses.

He was tempted in every way that we are, but he did not sin.

Let us, then, feel very sure that we can come before God's throne where there is grace. There we can receive mercy and grace to help us when we need it."

Hebrews 4:14-16 NCV

"Such love has no fear, because perfect love expels all fear.
If we are afraid, it is for fear of punishment, and this shows that we have not fully experienced his perfect love."

1 John 4:18 NLT

The first flowers are popping up in our neighborhood. How I long for spring... our colorful reminder year after year that new life is a promise from our benevolent Creator, a promise we can bank on.

We might as well stop fighting. We might as well stop running. We cannot escape. Resistance is futile.

Surrender. That is what His eyes look for as they move to and fro throughout the earth. A heart that is completely His. Unconditional, full surrender. However, the surrender God desires is enormously different than the surrenders we've seen or read about in our world. Enormously different. There is no gun pointing at our head. The Mighty Warrior of Heaven is simply searching for our heart. Our whole heart. And upon this surrender the unusual outcome will be that we are set free. No prison or slave labor for His captives. Nope, no way. Because this unusual captor of hearts is known as One who came to "proclaim freedom for the prisoners" (Luke 4:18 NIV). And beyond that, quite remarkably, He also "raises the poor from the dust and lifts the needy from the ash heap, [and if that is not enough, where does He take them from there?] ...to make them sit with princes" (Psalms 113:7-8 NAS). Astounding.

So what on earth are we waiting for? What lies or vices are holding us back?

"O LORD, you have searched me and you know me…you are familiar with all my ways. Before a word is on my tongue you know it completely, O LORD…My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place... All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be…" Psalms 139:1, 4, 15-16 NIV

To the One who knows me inside out – let me love You from the inside out.

"Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts.
See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting." Psalms 139:23-24 NIV 

I surrender all...

"Don't worry about anything; instead, pray about everything.

Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done.

Then you will experience God's peace, which exceeds anything we can understand.

His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.

And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise.

Keep putting into practice all you learned and received from me—everything you heard from me and saw me doing. Then the God of peace will be with you."

Philippians 4:1, 4-9 NLT

"...When I think of all this, I fall to my knees
and pray to the Father, the Creator of everything in heaven and on earth.

I pray that from his glorious, unlimited resources he will empower you with inner strength through his Spirit.

Then Christ will make his home in your hearts as you trust in him.

Your roots will grow down into God's love and keep you strong.

And may you have the power to understand, as all God's people should,
how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love is.

May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully.

Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God."

Ephesians 3:6-19 NLT

"Send out your light and your truth; let them guide me.

Let them lead me to your holy mountain, to the place where you live."

Psalm 43:3 NLT



"He gives me new strength. He guides me in the right paths, as he has promised."

Psalm 23:3 GNT





"I will lead blind Israel down a new path, guiding them along an unfamiliar way.

I will make the darkness bright before them and smooth out the road ahead of them.

Yes, I will indeed do these things; I will not forsake them."

Isaiah 42:16 NLT

Many of us have heard, have quoted, have hugged the divine promise of Romans 8:28 to our soul in the darkest of times and held on.

Nevertheless, as the Bible also says, "Hope deferred makes the heart sick" (Proverbs 13:12) and there are many of us out here with a sick heart, a heart sick with disappointment.

Months of desperate prayers, seemingly unanswered, can turn into years, which leave us wondering, where is God?

"...For God knew his people in advance, and he chose them to become like his Son, so that his Son would be the firstborn, with many brothers and sisters. And having chosen them, he called them to come to him. And he gave them right standing with himself, and he promised them his glory.

What can we say about such wonderful things as these? If God is for us, who can ever be against us? Since God did not spare even his own Son but gave him up for us all, won't God, who gave us Christ, also give us everything else? Who dares accuse us whom God has chosen for his own? Will God? No! He is the one who has given us right standing with himself.

Who then will condemn us? Will Christ Jesus? No, for he is the one who died for us and was raised to life for us and is sitting at the place of highest honor next to God, pleading for us..."

Romans 8:29-34 NLT

Where is God?

Christ Jesus...is sitting at the place of highest honor next to God, pleading for us...

At a time when all hope and faith was draining from my soul, when I questioned, God, do You even hear my prayers? Do You see? Do You care? ... He answered me with this passage in Romans that states what Jesus is doing at this very moment - he's pleading for us. And with those three words His reply reached deep into my heart:

I know what it's like to plead for your children, Deb. It's what I do all the time. I never stop, year after year after year. And I'm right here with you, and I'll see you through this. Don't give up hope. Don't stop. Keep believing. Keep going forward. Stronger. Believing. Stronger.

It's always darkest before the dawn. So don't give up. Don't ever give up.

 "...Can anything ever separate us from Christ's love?

Does it mean he no longer loves us if we have trouble or calamity, or are persecuted, or are hungry or cold or in danger or threatened with death?

(Even the Scriptures say, 'For your sake we are killed every day; we are being slaughtered like sheep.')

No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us.

And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from his love.
Death can't, and life can't. The angels can't, and the demons can't.

Our fears for today, our worries about tomorrow, and even the powers of hell can't keep God's love away.

Whether we are high above the sky or in the deepest ocean, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord."

Romans 8:35-39 NLT

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