Help is Here

Make 2014 a year for sharing

“"For nothing will be impossible with God."”  – Luke 1:37

When I talk with people about problems they are having today – financial, marital, relationship, addictions, fear and happiness – the general feeling is that these problems aren't new.  They are cyclical and have been going on for generations and generations.  I propose that since the beginning of time people have had similar problems.  Granted they are much more elaborate today, and well celebrated; but not necessarily new.

There is nothing you could bring to the table of God today that He has not seen before.  Seriously, is there anything you can think of that God hasn’t seen or dealt with at some other point in the existence of the world?  Try it.  Try to think of the biggest problem you are facing right now.  Many of you are likely thinking of paying a bill or many; or mending a relationship that has forever been damaged; or dealing with the loss of a loved one.  Who are you turning to for help today?  Friends and family can go a long way to provide comfort, some financial help and good advice, but most of the time they haven’t had your exact problem before.

Do you truly believe that God is omnipotent and all powerful, or are these just words that are easy to say at the right time?  For you see, God created the stars in the sky.  You cannot count them.  To fully understand His magnificence, think about this.  When you look into the sky on a crystal clear night, regardless of your hemisphere, you might be able to see 1000 stars with the naked eye.  The closest start to the earth is 4.24 light years away.  There are over 5.8 trillion miles in one light year, so that star is nearly 25 trillion miles away.  Now, consider that there are actually millions if not billions of stars in the Milky Way galaxy, which spans 70,000 light years and I’m not even going to do that math.  Did you know that in 1999 the Hubble telescope discovered that there are somewhere around 125 billion galaxies.  How unimaginable is the size of one galaxy, yet alone 125.  Each filled with millions if not billions of stars.  All of this created for you and I as a night light (Genesis 1:17) for the earth.  He created the universe that is unbelievably large, and He created the super-particles that make up the smallest elements of science.  He created your DNA from atoms, unlike any other creature He has ever created. 

So, if you believe in God; and you believe that God indeed created the universe as well as the atom and the particles that make up an atom; then why do you not believe He can solve your problem?  The obvious answer is that He can.  The very next question should be, “Then why doesn’t He?”  To that, there is only one answer, because He is God and I’m not.  God does the miraculous every day in parts all over the world.  We generally have preconceived notions on how a problem should be solved.  Often times my prayers to the Lord are for Him to solve my problem in the manner that I have determined to be the most effective and easiest to implement.  In hind sight I sit back and laugh at myself though.  Do I truly believe that God, who created the universe and everything in it, needs my advice on how to solve a problem?  We have to be willing to seek out His answer for the problem and it may not line up with our thoughts at all.

Finally, I believe we are to acknowledge that we trust God’s answer to our prayers regardless of the outcome.  God has no obligation to answer our prayer in the manner we would like.  If I pray for something and it doesn’t come to fruition, will I still love God?  If my problems get worse and more challenging, can I stand up and still thank God and trust that He knows the reason why and it is for my own good?  These are much easier to write about than to implement, but that is what trust comes down to.  Understanding that God can do anything He wants to do, for nothing is impossible for Him.  He chooses to answer our prayers and solve our problems in the way that best aligns with His plans for the kingdom.

Prayer:

Almighty God,

We are in awe of Your magnificence and never ending love for us.  We look to the sky and see the wonder of Your creation.  We look to the earth and see the smallest insect and marvel at Your intricate detailed design.  You have created us for a purpose and we trust the You are loving, merciful and true.  Your promise is for our salvation and redemption; in this we hold true.  Lord, feel our pain and hear our cries.  Work within each of us to give us Your will in our lives and bring peace to our problems.  Our faith is not shaken as we wait upon the Lord.  In Your name we pray – Amen

© Sondove Enterprises, 2014
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A Fount of Wisdom

Read It, Learn It, Live It, Share It

“With whom will you compare me or count me equal?  To whom will you liken me that we may be compared?" – Isaiah 46:5

  I am reminded of a song (see lyrics below) from 4 or 5 years back that clearly spoke to me just how magnificent and incredible it is that God Almighty thinks about me.  When we face challenges in life and it looks as though there is no way out of a particular situation, we often times turn to those that we love and ask for advice, help and support.  It’s not that this is wrong, because we are called to help one another when they are in need and to love one another through their heartaches.  This is being Jesus to those around you and we are designed to do this.  But, the realization that hit me a few years back was that as frequently as we call on our friends and family, we very seldom actually call on God to help us through our daily struggles.  I began asking myself why. . .

1)      I can’t comprehend how He can help us when I can’t see Him, feel Him or hear Him

2)      We don’t want to bother God with our silly little problems

3)      We’ve done something wrong and going to God will require admitting it
(hint, hint: He already knows)

4)      There is no real relationship with God, we simply say we believe so we can get to heaven when we die

5)      God is good, pure and righteous and the problem I’m facing is unethical or immoral

6)      Other people are watching and I’m somewhat embarrassed to pray in front of them

7)      He didn’t help me the last time I prayed

I’m sure there are other reasons for not turning to God for help.  I ask that you sit back and ask yourself one question: “Who knows more than God?”  If you truly believe that there is an answer to that question other than no-one, then by all means go and ask that person for help.  The reality is that God created the heavens, the universe, the galaxy, the sun, moon and stars and the Earth and all that is within it.  His bank account is infinite, His mercies are plentiful and His love overcomes every single broken heart.  He has poured out His grace upon mankind, not because we deserve it, because we surely don’t; but because He loves us so much. Grasping that concept is the key to understanding who God really is.

We live in a society framed up by the digital era, and we expect instantaneous results to our questions or problems.  God does not work that way.  He doesn’t have a cell phone, laptop, tablet, or TV.  There is no need for email in heaven.  He hears your thoughts before the words leave your lips.  He thinks in the big picture, not in the small stuff and therefore just because you want something done by Friday, it may or may not be beneficial in the long run.  Trust in His sovereignty and trust in His love for you.  He’ll not let you fall, though you might stumble a time or two.

My Redeemer – Nicole C. Mullen

Who taught the sun where to stand in the morning
and Who told the oceans, you can only go this far
and Who showed the moon where to hide till the evening
Who’s words alone can catch a falling star?
chorus:
Well I know my Redeemer lives
I know my Redeemer lives
All of creation testify
Let this life within me cry
I know my Redeemer lives

There is a God that spins things in orbit
Runs to the weary, the worn and the weak
and the same gentle hands that hold me when I'm broken
They conquered death to bring me victory
repeat chorus(1x)

He lives To take away my shame
and He lives, forever I'll proclaim
That the payment for my sin
Was the precious life He gave
but now He's alive and there's an empty grave.
repeat chorus(2x)

© Sondove Enterprises, 2013
For more Daily Thoughts go to: http://sondove.blogspot.com
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One Supreme Authority

Read It, Learn It, Live It, Share It

 

“Let them know that you, whose name is the Lord— that you alone are the Most High over all the earth" – Psalm 83:18

He slept in that morning.  The night before had 

been filled with dining and dancing, and his head still throbbed from the spirits he had consumed in celebration of his promotion.  For years he had his eye on that corner office with the President title on the door.  He had worked in this company since he was 18 years old and here he was 35 years later reaching the pinnacle of his career.  Work had been his passion.  He left his wife and daughter in that small white house on Chestnut street when that little girl was only 7.  He was scared, confused about his priorities and made a bad decision that had haunted him for years and now all he had as proof of his former life was an 8x10 photo of her on her wedding day.  He sat on the edge of his bed and wept over her picture as the emotions overwhelmed him. 

There was a point in his life when things seemed in control.  He married right after high school, had a solid job for such a young man and was a proud father within 2 years.  Choices and bad decisions left him alone and his entire world turned upside down.  He lost his faith, his love for others and poured everything he had into his career.  Well, here he was.  He finally made it to the top, and as he looked around his Manhattan condominium he realize he was all alone at the top.  The friends who drank the night away with him only 8 hours ago were long gone.  He walked to the closet and with very depressed, evil intentions knelt down and reached for the handle of the gun case.  Then he caught a glimpse in the dim light, and he reached for the Book instead.  As he brought it out of the closet, he fell back on the floor, his back lying against the bed. 

The cover was torn and tattered.  His Dad carried it daily to and from work, to the war and back and was seen in his large easy chair reading it every morning as long back as the man could remember.  Right up until his death, this book saw him through the ups and downs of life, the struggles of raising the kids, the bankruptcy and the many struggles they had face in life.  Now here it was in the hands of his son, and it sat collecting dust in the corner of the closet for the last 25 years.  As he opened the book, it fell to the 83^rd Book of Psalms.  The anger expressed by David towards mankind, especially his enemies, leaps from the pages.  And then he gets to the last verse and it all comes rushing forward.  His life had been spent combatting with God for control, for authority and for praise.  He had taken all of the accomplishments in life and selfishly proclaimed them as his own doing.  Despite his continued success in his career, he refused to give glory to the Lord, to the ultimate authority and creator of all things.

This explained the emptiness, the hollowness and loneliness in his life.  This explained his self-centered choices in life and his hatred for mankind in general.  Lowering his face into his hands, he cried out to the Lord in shame, begging forgiveness and asking for the opportunity to serve Him.  The rush of emotions overwhelmed the man as he fell face first to the floor and poured out his life of sinful actions to the only Lord, the ultimate Authority, the One who sits upon the throne in heaven.  In a moment his life had become one with purpose, one with blessing and one with the opportunity to change the world for the good.

Where are you with God?  Is He your authority?  Is He given credit for your success?  Is God at the center of your decisions?  Have you come to the point of serving Him in the manner in which He deserves or like our example above, are you captured in the fallacy that you alone are responsible for your talents, skills, success and accomplishments?  There is only one supreme Authority and Lord on Most High and His name is Jehovah, and is to be praised.  Give serious thought to your relationship with God and make amends as necessary today.
             

© Sondove Enterprises, 2013
For more Daily Thoughts go to: http://sondove.blogspot.com
If you would like to be added to the email distribution please click here: Daily Thoughts