Cheryl Ricker

Who’s At The Wheel?

Cheryl — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 11:56:34 +0000

Be still, and know that I am God! Psalm 46:10

Be still in this restless world? Is it even possible? Perhaps not. Unless we let God do the stilling in us.

Be still, and know that I am God!

Maybe if he does the stilling while we do the knowing, we’ll get somewhere. Somewhere serene on this sacred journey to stillness.

Be still, and know that I am God!

Why in the world is this taking forever? Are we there yet? Daddy, Sally’s wiggling in her car seat, and Bobby took my doll! Daddy, I’ve got to go pee!

Chill. Be still. Look up. Grow up. Fasten your seatbelt. Look at me. Hello! I’m Daddy God.

Somehow, somewhere, on our way to growing up, we all sound the same. I’m hungry. I’m tired. I’m waiting. I’m wired.

The sweet news is, God sounds the same too.

Be still, and know that I am God! Besides, I’m driving and you’re not!

After too many miles at the same slow speed in the same lame direction on Trust-Me Lane, we’re tired of being tired. We’re fed up with whittling away our energy on gripes and worries; we’re downright angry about spending our frazzled lives on nothing but ourselves – and we’re finally spent. Empty of ourselves. We see nothing but God.

Somehow, somewhere on our way to growing up, we lose ourselves in the one who lost everything for us. We learn to trust with our knower and know with our truster that God is a better driver than we are!

And we’re still….

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Christmas Screams

Cheryl — Wed, 21 Dec 2011 11:13:16 +0000

When the valleys seem deeper, longer than the heights, depths of our mountaintop times, He is here.

If we could see Him we would break into shouts of joy.

He is here.

He is here with His itinerary that makes Satan’s schemes look like child’s play.

Satan doesn’t want us to see him, doesn’t want us to sense him, doesn’t want us to “consider it pure joy when we suffer trials of all kinds.”

We’re not ignorant of his devices. We know he has a plan with our screaming pain to…

reawaken unforgiveness,
inflict fear and anxiety,
load us with depression and heaviness,
tire us flat with despair,
and keep us from moving closer to God.

Funny how pain can either make us or break us. Follow Satan’s thinking and drift or follow God’s thinking and dwell… in the truth of His goodness and love.

“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 4:8-9 NLT

I want peace, so I choose truth. I choose to thank Him that…

He is always good and loving,
He is always in control,
He always works EVERYTHING together for our good,
He knows what “good” really means,
and He never wastes pain, His or ours.

He tells us to fix our eyes on things above, tells us He’ll reward us for loving Him back, tells us to look forward to the Day of God and speed its coming.

“No eye has seen, no ear had heard, and no mind has imagined what God has prepared for those who love him.” 1 Corinthians 2:9

Maranatha!! Hurray!!

The greatest gift of Christmas is yet to come! Again! Soon!

One look in His face and our pain will be erased.

We’ll be like the mother at the end of her long labor/delivery, gazing lovingly, longingly at her child — only we’ll be looking at the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. Forever and Amen.

Merry Christmas!

Can-Do Attitude

Cheryl — Mon, 05 Dec 2011 11:35:34 +0000

The power of positive thinking jumps to a whole new level when we add the Christ-factor.

“For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength.” Phil 4:13

When we’re in His will, He strengthens us to do everything. What could be more positive?

Some say, “I know He wants us to love all people, even difficult people, and to praise him in the midst of all circumstances, even crazy family circumstances, but do you really think it’s possible to stay Christ-like, self-controlled and patient when life falls apart?”

As a sensitive, easily-rattled person prone to ask this herself, I can tell you the answer stays the same.

“Everything is possible with God.” Mark 10:27

Satan infects us with darts of doubt as he whispers, “Impossible. You’re not going to make it. You’ll mess up. No-can-do.” But what does God say?

“Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life.” Prov 4:23

Heart guard starts with a fair share of prayer. And guess what? The Lord’s prayer covers all the main areas of our hearts and lives.

Lord, above all things, we start by acknowledging you as our Holy Father.
It’s all about Your Kingdom and Your perfect will being done in our lives.
When we ask, You are faithful to sustain us and give us what we need this day.
We ask for Your ongoing forgiveness, just as you ask us to forgive others.
Keep us from arrows of temptation. Deliver us from evil, both inside and out.
For in You, lives the Kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen!

How can we not be positive when we believe God answers such prayers?

When we prayerfully press into Him in this way, He chases out selfishness and helps us love Him and others. Then when the day of evil comes, we’re prepared by the power of the Holy Spirit to cling to His Word, trusting we can do all things through Christ who gives us strength. Whether the present or future appears bright or bleak, we’re filled with supernatural hope, knowing we’re safe in the Potter’s loving hands and purposes.

Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near.

Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.

And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Phil 4:4-7

The Big Fail

Cheryl — Wed, 09 Nov 2011 11:35:59 +0000

“Simon Peter followed Jesus, as did another of the disciples. That other disciple was acquainted with the high priest, so he was allowed to enter the high priest’s courtyard with Jesus. Peter had to stay outside the gate. Then the disciple who knew the high priest spoke to the woman watching at the gate, and she let Peter in. The woman asked Peter, “You’re not one of that man’s disciples, are you?”

“No,” he said, “I am not.” John 18:15-17

The “other disciple” is said to be John, the one writing this gospel. John took advantage of his acquaintance with the high priest to use it as a ticket and follow Jesus into the cold courtyard where others huddled by a fire.

God gives us connections and divine appointments. It’s our job to step through the door and acknowledge Christ.

Whether we’re by the fire or in the fire, God is with us. Satan cooks up trials to burn us, but God allows trials to fit us for the King and His Kingdom work (loving others).

“Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to sift each of you like wheat. But I have pleaded in prayer for you, Simon, that your faith should not fail. So when you have repented and turned to me again, strengthen your brothers.”

Peter said, “Lord, I am ready to go to prison with you, and even to die with you.”

But Jesus said. “Peter, let me tell you something. Before the rooster crows tomorrow morning, you will deny three times that you even know me.” Luke 22:31-34

Before his test, Peter thought he was as unsinkable as the Titanic.

“Don’t think you are better than you really are.” Romans 12:3

“If you think you are standing strong, be careful not to fall. The temptations in your life are no different from what others experience. And God is faithful. He will not allow the temptation to be more than you can stand. When you are tempted, he will show you a way out so that you can endure.” 1 Corinthians 10:12-13

God loved Peter too much to let him sink in self-confidence and presumption. God wanted him to be a rock on which he built his church. Peter’s trial was designed to teach him to humbly, fully lean on Christ, the foundation.

If Peter had known what it meant to “fear the Lord,” he would have been slower to boast, “Lord, I am ready to go to prison with you, and even to die with you.”

God also used John to build his Kingdom, but we don’t see John making such boasts. Perhaps that’s why this was Peter’s test, not John’s.

“For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned.” Matthew 12:37

“The tongue can bring death or life; those who love to talk will reap the consequences.” Proverbs 18:21

Whether we’re crass like Peter or more on the careful side like John, God gives us the power to do the right thing. And the Lord prays for our formation as we build his kingdom.

“Therefore he (Jesus) is able, once and forever, to save those who come to God through him. He lives forever to intercede with God on their behalf.” Hebrews 7:25

We fall down, but we can get up. If we repent and return to God, we lose only our pride and excuses. As we abide in Christ and His power abides in us, he makes us like Peter who later strengthened those around him. In this we become living testimonies of how God never wastes our tests and trials ~ even when we fail.

A Time To Die?

Cheryl — Fri, 07 Oct 2011 10:00:17 +0000

Leaves litter the ground, reminding me how seasons bleed, one into the next, as quick as a blink, while God waits for us to catch new vision.

I kick back on the swing, crunching my feet in fresh crisps of color as I mull over memories of my dear Aunt Shirley. How strange I can’t call her anymore.

As sudden as a Minnesota temperature drop, her brain aneurism leaves my own brain reeling.

I crumble squeeze a bright orange leaf, blink away pictures of us splashing together at her cottage, of us wizening from sun and water, coming out smelling like fish.

I see Aunt Shirley in the raspberry jam my son grunts to open, in the chocolate kisses my husband gives me, and in all the Avon products my mom personally delivered from Canada.

This is the only Aunt I’ve known, the one who lost her only son in a car accident on his way home from college, the Aunt who fought breast cancer and won. Gone because of a headache that wouldn’t quit.

Leaves twirl from the trees, faster with each gust of breeze, but my mind slows, leaning itself against an empty prayer place. It’s strange how I no longer need to pray for my aunt. Stranger still, how quickly I find myself filling those empty prayer spaces that fill me like air waiting to be exhaled.

The air is thick as I think about cancer in my friend’s young husband who was just moved to hospice. Winter’s trying to come too early, trying to crush some kind of summer-wonderful. Yes, this man is full of wonder, husband and father of three sweet girls. One of the good guys, hungry to live and give.

I fling a leaf off my laptop, imagining Jonathon fighting a pain I’ve never known. My closest comparison would be giving birth, but what kind of comparison is that? Other than the fact that I, too, was pumped with drugs, decisions, and prayers. Except, don’t both kinds of pain lead to new life?

I don’t fight the sob that slips from my hollow places. I like the word “hollow” because it reminds me of hallowed, the King James way I learned our Lord’s prayer.

“Hallowed be thy name.” Matthew 6:9

Wasn’t that the part before, “Your Kingdom come. Your will be done. On earth as it is in heaven…”?

A groan escapes with this plea: “God, I know you can do something. I’ve seen you do it again and again. I know you can. Do it again. Will you please?” The words get longer and stronger as I say them. It’s not a demand. It’s an urgent request.

“The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.” James 5:16

I hold to my sense of knowing that in my imperfection, God meets all the righteous requirements in me, in any of us who embrace Him and His ways. He is our righteousness. He’s more than enough. He is able.

I’m surprised as a little blue bird lands just a few away on the railing. Did he come to sing me comfort and peace? Or to remind me of life’s brief, unpredictable flight?

“A time to mourn and a time to dance…” Ecclesiastes 3:4

I retrieve a leaf that lands near my feet, and I twirl it a bit before noticing the shortness of its stem, the chord that ties it to life. At least, used to.

How in the world am I supposed to know what time it’s supposed to be ~ a time to dance or a time to weep? A time for transformation or a time for celebration? Who in the world is going to teach me how to tell this kind of time?

I say it aloud: “The time question wouldn’t be so tough if I didn’t know a God who I know can heal on earth as He heals in heaven, a God who says that nothing is impossible, a God who can even write a message on the wall if He wants to.”

Nothing. Just the wind and more dancing away leaves.

I think of the widow who kept coming and asking over and over, pleading with the gruff judge to help her out. He was no hero ~ just a flat-out tired man who wanted to get her off his case. He did what so many of us weary moms do: He gave in. Finally did what she asked.

God, is that what you want from us now? To keep asking, asking, asking. What kind of a difference will it make?

I don’t know. I just know the parable. I know Jesus told many stories, but this one, along with its compelling intro, managed to make the cut, be included in the canon. Is it key?

“Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up.” Luke 18:1

God shares His intent. We ask. He answers. One is our job. One is His job. So we’re not supposed to stop asking until he says, “no”?

Then why does this discipline of persistent asking sound so parent-to-child simple but feel so out-of-this-world impossible?

I imagine one of my sons persistently asking if he can clean a sick neighbor’s house.

An impossible scenario? A least an unlikely one. What kid in their right mind is going to selflessly sacrifice video games, play, making money, etc., in order to step into the uncomfortable and ~ give?

At the same time, what parent isn’t delighted to hear their children ask, press even, for the right things? And who isn’t going to say “yes”?

I guess the question then is, “What are the “right things”? And how do I get out of my “right mind”?

It’s lunchtime, but I think of Jonathon lying in bed, possibly being fed a different way. I don’t know what’s happening with him today, and I’m scared to know.

“God, do you want me to fast and pray for His healing? Do you want me to collect more people to pray? Please show me what you’d like me to do, how much you would like me to die today…”

I take a deep breath, exhaling my prayer with the wind. At least I know where it’s going.

Nobody told the widow to press in with persistence. But she did. And it was a good thing.

I say it again. “God, what kind of love are you calling me to? What kind of death to self?”

Abba Father, thank you that you care about the hurting and dying a thousand times more than we do. Thank you that you see the big, bright picture over each dark, hazy one. Thank you that heaven is home first and foremost, and that earth is just a drop in the bucket compared to eternity.

Thank you that everything is designed to shape us into your image.

Thank you for the power of loving sacrifice and prayer… Yours first. Then ours. Because you made a way. We always have an honest reason to say ~ ‘thank you’.

Friend, I invite you to join this chorus of bold, unashamed prayer. Freely as the Lord leads. And moves.

Dear God, Why Can’t I Have a Baby?

Cheryl — Mon, 12 Sep 2011 10:07:18 +0000

One in six couples suffer with infertility, feeling ostracized and alone.

“Too make matters worse,” says Janet Thompson, “few churches offer support groups to counsel this large overlooked group.”

After surgery for a ruptured ovarian cyst at age twenty-one and newly engaged, the doctor told Janet that her ovaries were cystic and looked like those of a 90-year-old woman. “Sorry, you’ll never be able to have children.”

Three years into marriage, Janet was miraculously pregnant with her daughter Kim!

Still, Janet couldn’t shake the worry that maybe Kim would have trouble getting pregnant too. Years later, her fears proved true. All of Kim’s infertility treatments failed. Meanwhile, Janet’s stepdaughter Shannon had also been trying to get pregnant for seven years. Janet watched both couples go through the same pain, frustration, and anguish she had experienced.

“We comfort others with the comfort we ourselves have received.”

Not one to waste her sorrows, Janet wrote, Dear God, Why Can’t I Have a Baby? A Companion Guide for Couples on the Infertility Journey. Both Kim’s and Shannon’s stories run through the book, along with forty-five other couples who also share their stories to comfort and encourage others on their infertility journey.

“I wrote the book because I knew that couples longing for a child needed encouragement to trust in God in this path they never chose. The book and the couples who share remind us of God’s promises and presence. It gives an opportunity to explore His answers to our sorrowful ‘Whys?’”

Janet also wrote Dear God, They Say It’s Cancer: A Companion Guide for Women on the Breast Cancer Journey. The book resulted from her own diagnosis of breast cancer and how she longed to have this kind of book on hand during her journey. Both books are a mentor, record keeper, journal, devotional, prayer guide, and a friend. They have a section she calls “Sanity Tools” to keep records in one place.

Janet is currently writing the third in the series, Dear God, He’s Home! and welcomes your stories of life after retirement, medical disability, loss of a job, unemployment, home after military deployment, working out of the home—any circumstance that suddenly finds the husband home every day. Feel free to contact her at info@womantowomanmentoring.com and your story might end up in Janet’s book!

Janet’s passion is mentoring: equipping and encouraging women to share what God has seen them through so they can help others.

Janet’s eyes twinkle with Christ’s love as she speaks. “Nothing happens in a believer’s life by accident. God asks us to tell others about the mighty wonders and works we’ve seen Him do in our lives and in the lives of those who open their hearts to Him.”

Friends, as you know one of the main themes in my gift book, “A Friend in the Storm,” is “God never wastes pain.” Perhaps you’ve considered how God could use you to help others, but you haven’t fully stepped out in way you’d like. Janet and I encourage you to comfort others with the comfort you have received. Don’t ask the Lord to guide your footsteps if you’re not willing to move your feet. Maybe today is the day to reach out to that hurting person in your life. Maybe write that book or article you’ve been thinking about. Maybe start that talk or website.

You can see one of the ways God’s helping me help others through my website www.AFriendintheStorm.com. While there, feel free to sign up for my free monthly e-letter. Janet invites you to do the same at www.womantowomanmentoring.com.

Janet lives with her husband Dave in the mountains of Idaho and is now “Grammie” to eleven grandchildren!

Friends, nothing pleases God as much as when we love other people. Would you please join me for a moment in order to pray for a couple you know who is struggling with infertility? Thank you!

Dear Heavenly Father, I lift up ………today. I ask that You please do a miracle in their lives like You did for Janet. You are the great giver of life. Please lead them in the way they should go. If they’re considering adoption, please open that door, and may everything go smoothly. Encourage their hearts and help me to be a good friend in their storm. Amen!

Janet and I would like to give away a free copy of Dear God, Why Can’t I Have a Baby? A Companion Guide for Couples on the Infertility Journey AND a free copy of A Friend in the Storm. Simply leave a comment and we’ll randomly pick a couple winners! Thank you!

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Prayer & Angels

Cheryl — Fri, 19 Aug 2011 09:38:32 +0000

“For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous and his ears are attentive to their prayer, but the face of the Lord is against those who do evil.” 1 Peter 3:12

Stuff happens when we pray! If we could draw back the spiritual veil, our jaws would drop to see God commissioning His angels to action for us!

“Are not all angels ministering spirits sent to serve those who will inherit salvation?” Hebrews 1:14

Satan, mad at being kicked off the angelic prayer loop, resorts to age-old schemes. Threatened by our faith-expressions, he tries to distract us from unleashing God’s power.

“The smoke of incense, together with the prayers of God’s people, went up before God from the angel’s hand.” Revelation 8:4

Our prayers are sacred trusts treasured by God. I shudder to think how easily I forget to present important requests to Creator God. That’s why I like prayer journaling. It keeps me focused.

“Yet the news about him spread all the more, so that crowds of people came to hear him and to be healed of their sicknesses. But Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed.” Luke 5:15, 16

Jesus shows that prayer is the secret to successful ministry. Why do we expect to get away with less?

“But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.” Matthew 6:6

Does this mean we shouldn’t tell people we’re praying for them? Not necessarily. It does mean we should check our motives. Are we telling people to encourage them or are we telling them to pat ourselves on the back?

“During the days of Jesus’ life on earth, he offered up prayers and petitions with fervent cries and tears to the one who could save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverent submission.” Hebrews 5:7,8

Jesus’ prayers were heard for the same reason they were denied: He lived and died in complete submission to the Father.

“He withdrew about a stone’s throw beyond them, knelt down and prayed, ‘Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me: yet not my will, but yours be done.’ An angel from heaven appeared to him and strengthened him.” Luke 22:41-43

A million hallelujahs that God’s flesh and blood paid the price!

“This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. And if we know that he hears us—whatever we ask—we know that we have what we asked of him.” 1 John 5:14,15

Let’s bless the Captain of Hosts, the hero of our hearts, with a fragrant praise offering! The one who was broken for our healing, waits here to hear from us!

“Weeping may remain for a night, but rejoicing comes in the morning.” Psalm 30:5

What a joy to meet with you! I pray you were blessed. Please leave a comment and your name will be entered to win a free copy of “A Friend in the Storm.” Feel free to share this with a friend.

Most Important Prayer For Leaders

The Beautiful Choice

Cheryl — Sun, 31 Jul 2011 09:35:12 +0000

Choices….

God could have made us robots,

marching to His heart,

forced to love completely,

obeying from the start.

Instead He made us separate,

with built-in modes for choice,

so love would prove more precious

when we finally hear His voice…

I wrote that in high school when faced with a gazillion choices…

I was the insecure girl who believed that if somebody didn’t like her, there was something definitely wrong with her.

Friend, have you ever met someone who was so insecure about a relationship that she basically controlled, manipulated, and strangled it to death?

Love, by its nature, is never forced; love always necessitates choice.

To love God or not to love God;

That is the question.

Can you think of a more important question? A greater freedom?

Every day we choose: Will I say “yes” to God or “no.”

I said “yes” to God when I was four, but many times since then my actions said, “No thanks, God. I know what you told me, but I’d rather go my own way, thanks.”

Maturity is wisdom achieved through suffering. It’s the confidence that comes from trusting God’s way is always best.

I cling to these truths:

“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom” Proverbs 1:7
“To fear the LORD is to hate evil.” Proverbs 8:13
“But if we judged ourselves, we would not come under judgment. When we are judged by the Lord, we are being disciplined so that we will not be condemned with the world.” 1 Corinthians 11:31,32

If we want to grow in Christ, we must choose to hate sin.

Here’s the tough part: If we want to grow in Christ, we must choose to hate sin in ourselves more than sin in others.

If you’re like me, you become incensed when you see people hurt others. You say, “Lord, teach that booger a lesson!”

Well, what do you think would happen if we held the same kind of intolerance for our own sins?

Here’s a verse that ought to stop us in our tracks if not slow us down in them:

“Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.” Matthew 7:1-2

Jesus chose to take care of our sin problem. Today, when we listen to His voice, will we seize His power and love Him enough to obey or will we give into the age-old hissings that snake into our garden to destroy it?

As always, the beautiful choice is up to us….

Would you tell us about the day you chose to follow Christ OR

could you share a Scripture that would help others say “yes” to Christ in the midst of everyday temptations?

I will randomly choose a winner from the comments below to receive a free copy of A Friend in the Storm!

Secrets & Mysteries

Cheryl — Wed, 20 Jul 2011 09:27:47 +0000

I love talking to God in the morning when everyone’s asleep and it’s quiet, except for my husband’s snoring, (which reminds me how much I need to talk to God in the first place! )

You can’t put a price tag on prayer. We get to connect with the God of the universe ~ the mysterious Father who gave us the Son who gave us the Spirit so we can connect back with the Father!

“Can you fathom the mysteries of God? Can you probe the limits of the Almighty?” Job 11:6-8

Millions of books have been written on God, but what do we really know?

“How great is God – beyond our understanding!” Job 36:26

But He wants us to pursue Him.

“You will seek me and find me when you seek me all your heart.” Jer 29:13

He wants to reveal secrets.

Jesus told His disciples parables to help them unlock the mysteries of the Kingdom of heaven; and what they didn’t figure out on their own, He explained to them when they were alone. Mark 4:34

Did you know He still loves revealing mysteries to His trustworthy servants today?

“The secret things belong to the LORD our God, but the things revealed belong to us and to our children forever.” Deut 29:29

People didn’t tell me secrets when I was a kid because, generous young girl that I was, I always wanted to share.

Guess you could say that the repercussions taught me a lot about “sharing”:

1) People don’t share things unless they think you will trust and believe them.

At that time Jesus said, “I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children.” Matt 11:25

2) People don’t share things unless they can trust and believe in you.

This, then, is how you ought to regard us: as servants of Christ and as those entrusted with the mysteries God has revealed. Now it is required that those who have been given a trust must prove faithful. 1 Cor 4:1-2

When is the last time you thought about life’s great mysteries?

The mystery of suffering.
The mystery of God’s love.
The mystery of how the two relate.

And we boast in the hope of the glory of God. Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; and perseverance, character; and character, hope. Romans 5:1b-4

Love is the bottom line.

If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. 1 Cor 13:2

Don’t you love how the two relate?

But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Rom 5:8

I’m a sinner ~ just ask my husband. A forgiven sinner.

I love praying over my forgiven, snoring husband, who remains a great mystery to me.

God’s grace remains a mystery to us both. We know it’s the glue that holds us together (especially when one of us is a writer who is slightly more inclined to “share” things.)

Care to share this prayer with me?

God of all mysteries, thank You for trusting us with the greatest mystery in the world ~ Your love.

May we never let Your mysteries keep us in the dark; rather, may we trust You will use them to draw us closer to Your light, helping us shine the way for others.

In Jesus’ Name. Amen!

In My Distress

Cheryl — Wed, 29 Jun 2011 13:04:40 +0000

“In my distress I called to the LORD, and he answered me. From deep in the realm of the dead I called for help, and you listened to my cry.” Jonah 2:2

Jesus Whispers:

Your troubles and concerns are safe in My ears. I may not always answer the way you expect, but I will answer. When people hurt you, you don’t need to carry the burden of judge and jury. I know everybody’s hearts and I balance the scales. Pray for your enemies. Leave room for my discipline, but also leave room for my grace to flow through you. Freely you have received; freely give.

When you’re upset because you’ve sinned and stepped out my protective covering, repent and call me close and I will set your feet on solid ground and astound you with the truth that, even in the midst of sin’s consequences and my loving discipline, I work all things together for your good and my glory.

How has God been there for you when you’ve been distressed? I’ll do a drawing from the comments below, and one blessed commenter will receive a free copy of A Friend in the Storm. : )