Reminder - Larry Gatlin and Me

Come and listen, all you who fear God, and I will tell you what he did for me. For I cried out to him for help, praising him as I spoke. If I had not confessed the sin in my heart, the Lord would not have listened. But God did listen! He paid attention to my prayer. Praise God, who did not ignore my prayer or withdraw his unfailing love from me.

Psalm 66:16-20 NLT

I've spent the last few hours going through cards, letters, old bills, old newspaper articles... a sales ad! Really?!? Most of it, I can recycle or shred, but right in the middle of it, some old family pictures. I don't know how they got mixed in with all that. Stuffing the stuff...

In the course of it, I happened upon some great and some not-so-great memories, but in my heart, I "visited" some of the milestones and landmarks of my life. God is so good! I am grateful to be able to remember, and I am grateful that I have the advantage of age to look back with an attitude of gratitude for all God has brought me through! At times like this, I always go back to what turned my life around and brought me to God, and I just felt like tonight, I wanted to share it again.

For me, it was this song. Help Me. Larry Gatlin wrote it and recorded it with Kris Kristofferson in 1972. I bought the record then, but didn't listen to it until sometime around 1980. A brief history of me at that time - paycheck on Friday, go to the bank, go to the liquor store, be drunk all weekend, sober up enough on Sunday to go to work on Monday. Be sick till Wednesday. Be good on Thursday, and start all over again on Friday. Broken. I was so broken...

This is my testimony - the shortened version. I'd been raised in church by a mother who tried, but I decided at 16 that I could never be good enough (I didn't know about God's amazing grace), so I walked away. By the time I listened to the entire song of Help Me, (ten years later), I was desperate. I knew I needed to get back to God, but couldn't find my way. I'd forgotten how to pray. I couldn't bring myself to even try to talk to God after all I'd done in a decade of debauchery. That's when I found the 45rpm record in my collection for the final time and actually listened to it all the way through for the FIRST time. God used my favorite singer to throw me a lifeline.

I am convinced that God gave that song to Larry Gatlin for me. It was the prayer of my life - for my life, of exactly where I was, and exactly what I needed.

If this resonates with you, let me tell you this. You're never too far gone. You've never done more than God will forgive. Jesus has already willingly paid the price for your soul. His grace truly IS amazing. God loves you and He will use everything at His command to get to you. Let Him know when you realize you need His help.

Prayer:

Father,
         I pray for the one reading this right now who needs to know Your saving grace. Please reveal Yourself in a very personal way so they know it's You. Save souls, heal their mind, body and spirit, and set them free from those things that tie them in knots, Father. Put people or things in their way that will point them to You. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

David's Prayer

Bend down, O Lord, and hear my prayer; answer me, for I need your help. Protect me, for I am devoted to you. Save me, for I serve you and trust you. You are my God.

Psalm 86:1-2 NLT

Let's pray and praise in unison as David prayed and praised the one true God.

Be merciful to us, O Lord, for we are calling on You constantly. Give us happiness, O Lord, for we give ourselves to You. O Lord, You are so good, so ready to forgive, so full of unfailing love for all who ask for Your help. Listen closely to our prayer, O Lord; hear our urgent cry. We will call to You whenever we're in trouble, and You will answer us.

No pagan god is like You, O Lord. None can do what You do! All the nations You made will come and bow before You, Lord; they will praise Your holy Name. For You are great and perform wonderful deeds. You alone are God.

Teach us Your ways, O Lord, that we may live according to Your truth! Grant us purity of heart, so that we may honor You. With our whole heart, we will praise You, O Lord our God. We will give glory to Your Name forever, for Your love for us is very great. You have rescued us from the depths of death. from Psalm 86 NLT

Prayer:

O Lord,
             You are a God of compassion and mercy, slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love and faithfulness. Look down and have mercy on us. Give Your strength to us; save us, O God. Send us a sign of Your favor. Then those who hate us will be put to shame, for only You, O Lord, help and comfort us. In Jesus' Name we pray, Amen

The Lord Sustains

Surely God is my help; the Lord is the one who sustains me.
Psalm 54:4 NIV

We hear a lot about personal burn-out within ministry - pastors, church staff and volunteers. Ministry demands more from a person than most other vocations - spiritually definitely, but also physically and emotionally. I think it has a lot to do with how busy one gets trying to meet all the needs. We get so busy trying to DO, that we tend to forget or neglect our time with the Lord - the ONLY One in Whom we live and move and have our very being. As David tells us in our Promise for Today, Surely God is my help; the Lord is the one who sustains me.

When we think WE have it tough, let's think about our first-century counterparts and what all they endured! In this excerpt from 2 Corinthians 11 NLT, Paul writes, 

23 Are they servants of Christ? I know I sound like a madman, but I have served him far more! I have worked harder, been put in prison more often, been whipped times without number, and faced death again and again. 

24 Five different times the Jewish leaders gave me thirty-nine lashes. 

25 Three times I was beaten with rods. Once I was stoned. Three times I was shipwrecked. Once I spent a whole night and a day adrift at sea. 

26 I have traveled on many long journeys. I have faced danger from rivers and from robbers. I have faced danger from my own people, the Jews, as well as from the Gentiles. I have faced danger in the cities, in the deserts, and on the seas. And I have faced danger from men who claim to be believers but are not. 

27 I have worked hard and long, enduring many sleepless nights. I have been hungry and thirsty and have often gone without food. I have shivered in the cold, without enough clothing to keep me warm.

28 Then, besides all this, I have the daily burden of my concern for all the churches. 

And yet Paul counts it all joy - a pleasure! Chapter 12, verse 10 That’s why I take pleasure in my weaknesses, and in the insults, hardships, persecutions, and troubles that I suffer for Christ. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

I urge you and encourage you to make time in your busy life for Christ your Lord. Without Him, there is no strength to sustain you.

Prayer:

Father,

          You promise Your strength in us in order to fulfill Your plan and purpose for our lives. You ARE our very present help in times of trouble. Strengthen and sustain us according to Your Word. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

From Now Until Easter - Look to the Hills

From Ash Wednesday until Easter, I will post from Lent and Easter devotionals offered online. Today's post features excerpts written by Caryn Baham - a chaplain at Friendship Village of Schaumburg, a senior facility in the northwest suburbs of Chicago.

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I will lift up my eyes to the hills - from whence comes my help? My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth.
Psalm 121:1-2 NKJV

Though this psalm is not referenced or alluded to in the New Testament, it remains a popular psalm and has even been set to the glorious music of Mendelssohn’s "Elijah" and Leonard Bernstein’s “A Simple Song.” I think this popularity stems from the fact that we are all, in our own way, making a pilgrimage in this life. We all wonder what will come next, how we will deal with it, and when we will at long last reach that final summit that God has planned for our lives.

The psalmist aptly points out that “my help” comes from the Lord, who is not only mighty enough to make the heavens and earth, but also intimate enough to be called “mine.” Though I know not what the light or darkness I see ahead will bring, I can rest knowing that God will continue to watch over my life through eternity. This will lead me to continue to look upward, to acknowledge the source of hope and strength in my life, both now and forevermore.

Prayer:
 
Lord,
         May we ever look upward to the Source of our greatest strength and help as we journey through this life. Thank You for the promise that You watch over our lives, for the path You set before us, and for the guiding hand You offer every step of the way. Amen.

How Much for Your Thoughts?

Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts.
Psalm 139:23 NLT

Have you ever been fooled by someone who put their best face forward? I know I have. You find out after the fact that they were going through the most awful time and were too embarrassed or were afraid of being judged. People you're willing to help if only you knew, if only they would let you in. 

The thing to remember for ALL of us is this. We are ALL in a battle of some kind. satan wants nothing more than to kill, steal and destroy us - no holds barred - but Christ came so that we might have abundant lives! This is why it is SO important to know God's Word. The answers to EVERYTHING are in there.

satan's ploy often starts as a thought - about you or about someone else or something else - but God's Word in 2 Corinthians 10:4-5 NKJV instructs us... the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ...

I'm sure you've heard or may have even said, "A penny for your thoughts", but your thoughts are worth SO much more, for what people think will determine how they choose to live or die. Don't let the enemy of your soul determine how you will think. James 5:16 NLT reads, Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results. 

Prayer:

Father,

          Help us to walk in Your love with one another and in unity of Spirit. Help us to fulfill the law of Christ, bearing one another's burdens according to Galatians 6:2. Give us Your eyes to see those who need encouragement or a helping hand and the grace to help them through. Help us to bring every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ.  Please forgive us and interrupt us when we allow ourselves to get distracted or too busy to see. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

A Helping Hand

And the Lord said, “Simon, Simon! Indeed, Satan has asked for you, that he may sift you as wheat. But I have prayed for you, that your faith should not fail; and when you have returned to Me, strengthen your brethren.”
Luke 22:31-32 NKJV

I am often surprised that we (myself included) allow ourselves to be deluded into believing that since we are Christians, nothing is supposed to touch us. That we can be shocked and confused when something less than wonderful comes our way… or when we fall down… Let me encourage you in the Word because after all, we are supposed to encourage one another while it is called Today.

Proverbs 24:16a - The godly may trip seven times, but they will get up again.

Job 5:19 - From six troubles He will deliver you, Even in seven evil will not touch you.

Selections from Psalm 37:
24 Though they stumble, they will never fall,
for the Lord holds them by the hand.
25 Once I was young, and now I am old.
Yet I have never seen the godly abandoned
or their children begging for bread.

34 Put your hope in the Lord.
Travel steadily along his path.
He will honor you by giving you the land.

39 The Lord rescues the godly;
He is their fortress in times of trouble.
40 The Lord helps them,
rescuing them from the wicked.
He saves them,
and they find shelter in Him.

Jesus said, Satan has asked for you, that he may sift you as wheat. But I have prayed for you, that your faith should not fail; and when you have returned to Me, strengthen your brethren.

Prayer:

Father,
          I pray for my brothers and sisters in Christ. I pray that we will be strong in the power of YOUR might – that we will lean on Your arms and not trust the strength of mere man. Let that same Spirit that raised Christ from the dead and that now resides in every follower of Christ RISE UP and cause us to be the overcomers You intend for us to be! You’ve done Your part – the shed Blood of the Lamb. Give us Your strength to do what You have planned for us to do. I pray for everyone reading this, whether on the Promise list or forwarded by a friend, for a renewing and a reviving of the Holy Spirit in their lives. Pour in, Father. We need more of You. In Jesus’ Name we pray. Amen