The Merchant's Cross Blog

Posts Tagged ‘Bible’

“Behold, I will do a new thing” (Isaiah 43:19).

The snow globe enclosed a peaceful landscape. Serene and still, everything was perfect until I picked it up. The slightest movement created a snowstorm.

My world feels like that at times. I try to maintain a modicum of control. It works well until the unexpected happens. The balance shifts and suddenly all I have organized is slipping and sliding.

“A place for everything and everything in its place,” has been my life’s motto. But just when I have it all together, one challenge collapses my carefully erected world. I prefer the accustomed, habitual, and business as usual. However, safe, comfortable, and predictable are not God-words.

Letting go is never easy. A phone call in the middle of the night, a dreaded diagnosis, a toddler’s first steps, the first day of school, handing a teen the car keys, relocating to another city, a new job, or different ministry responsibilities are just of a few of the pivotal points in life.

Change is often fraught with emotion, worry, fear, and dread. How will I go on? What will happen next? Will my children be okay? How are we going to make it? I never asked for this!

We live in a changing world. Family dynamics evolve, friends come and go, and health issues are inevitable.

The Scripture repeats, “And it came to pass.” It is one thing to read about changes in the lives of others but something else entirely to face our own. However, change is unavoidable. All that comes into our lives will pass in time. Nothing ever comes to stay.

Our past experiences may leave us apprehensive about God’s desire for change. When we read of His promise to do something new, we may wonder, “And what does that mean? Is it something I will enjoy?”

Perhaps the “new thing” He refers to is whatever we need. Do you need healing? Are you emotionally battered and scarred? Are you looking for answers? Does your family need a divine intervention? Are you struggling in your walk with God? Does your faith need a boost? What is lacking?

Throughout the Word of God it is confirmed, He will be — He will do whatever we need. It is the loss of control and right to dictate these changes that is unsettling.

Indeed, God is always at work in the world. He is creating new lives, new hearts, new beginnings, and His mercies and compassion are new each morning. Yet we are reluctant to trust Him.

An aging friend related to me the grief process following a diagnosis of congestive heart failure. At first she behaved as if it were not happening to her. She ignored it. But when it did not go away, anger replaced her denial. She felt betrayed. It took time, but she realized that while her life had changed, it was still good. Her life had value. She had significance.

We grieve over many things besides the death of someone we love. Events transpire in our lives that leave us shattered. Loss of control is never easy.

Why do we resist change? The unfolding of the seasons confirms life is about change. The stillness of winter erupts into sunshine and blossoms, increasing heat ushers in summer, summer fades into autumn, and fall foliage heralds the coming cold.

Some changes blindside us, and leave us reeling. The stages of life are inevitable, and we prepare ourselves as they approach. Other alterations we dare not avoid, not the ones God has planned for our lives. Missing out on anything He has for us is dangerous and not an option.

God is a God of change. He wants to remake us inside and out. This transformation began with repentance, when we turned away from our old lifestyle. It continues each day with a commitment to become all He desires.

We prefer to linger in secure places. However, for God to give us something new, we must be willing to let go of what we now grasp. This new thing God is doing in our lives is a process that will last a lifetime.

For us to receive more from God we must be willing to let go and let God have His way in our lives.

Lord, make me an instrument of thy peace;
where there is hatred, let me sow love;
where there is injury, pardon;
where there is doubt, faith;
where there is despair, hope;
where there is darkness, light;
and where there is sadness, joy.
Oh Divine Master,
grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled as to console;
to be understood, as to understand;
to be loved, as to love;
for it is in giving that we receive,
it is in pardoning that we are pardoned,
and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.
Amen

Saint Francis of Assisi

I had the privledge of singing special music at church service today. It was a very uplifting experience, after attending Bayfair Baptist Church for over a year, to be able to tell my church family how much they have all touched and impacted my life, how great the church is – and how special it’s members truly are. My spiritual growth over the past year has been incredible and I thanked each of them for the part they played in that.

On this Palm Sunday, I pray that you find out for yourself, who God is to you. Don’t allow the misconceptions of others, or what you’ve *’heard* about God, Jesus, or the Bible, turn you away or disuade from discovering Christ for yourself. You can’t have an opinion on something you know nothing about. I”m not asking you to believe – I’m asking you simply to find out what it’s all about. And hey, don’t take my word for it…all you need to do is ask Him to reveal Himself to you and then listen for God’s still small voice – and He will respond.  For the Bible, which is God’s word, tells us to

^{Ps 77:13} Your ways, O God, are holy. What god is so great as our God?

^{Ps 77:14} You are the God who performs miracles; you display your power among the peoples.

We witness God’s miracles in our lives each and every day; the sun rises, the birds sing, and we live and breathe them through the harmonious and spectacular beauties of life, love and nature. For those who choose to see, God opens their eyes to the miracles all around us and in giving thanks to Him for his goodness, He blesses us.  Paul tells us that: “The things that mark an apostle—signs, wonders and miracles—were done among you with great perseverance.” ^{2Co 12:12 NIV}

Luke 4:18-19 proclaims: “The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”

Jesus spoke these powerful words. he was saying that He was anointed by the Holy Spirit to preach the Good News to people in need. What is the Good News? That Jesus is the deliverer! Sometimes, negative forces caused from our own sin or those of our ancestors, sickness, or fear (to name but a few) can get such a heavy grip on us that we feel like a prisoner to them. The Good News is that Jesus came and died to set us free! In his dying on the cross, Jesus has broken the chains of bondage over our lives and set us free. Praise the Lord.

Should you or someone you love have a need for prayer for deliverance, please leave it here where we may pray, through the Holy name of Jesus, son of the living God.