But I’m Broken. Is There Hope For Me?

16 And he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up: and, as his custom was, he went into the synagogue on the sabbath day, and stood up for to read. 17 And there was delivered unto him the book of the prophet Esaias. And when he had opened the book, he found the place where it was written, 18 The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, 19 To preach the acceptable year of the Lord. 20 And he closed the book, and he gave it again to the minister, and sat down. And the eyes of all them that were in the synagogue were fastened on him. 21 And he began to say unto them, This day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears. Luke 4:16-21

What a passage for Jesus to read as He began His public ministry! Reading from Isaiah 61:1-11, His gracious words were so different from what the people heard from the religious rulers of their day. Most people  I know, with very few exceptions, have a past they would rather not re-live. Haunting memories cloud our minds. We feel broken, imprisoned by our previous experiences. It doesn’t matter if these wounds were self -inflicted by our own sin or by someone else’s. The result is still the same.  Noone is excluded from the blessings of knowing Christ as Savior.

Jesus, in His sweet, compassionate voice calls to each one of us, offering us:

Wholeness for brokenness (Isaiah 53:4-5)

Liberty for bondage (Romans 8:1-2; John 8:31-36)

Light for darkness (John 1:4-5; John 8:12)

Joy for mourning (Psalm 30:11-12; 1 Peter 1:3-9)

A spirit of praise for despair (Ps. 40:1-3; 2 Corinthians 4:16-18)

Belonging for rejection (1 John 3:1; Galatians 4:6-7)

Righteousness for injustice (Isa. 26:1-8; Isa. 30:18-19)

In Him the disgraced find newness of life. The abandoned are taken under the shelter of His wings. Hope is restored. What a Savior!

Blessings! ~Kelly

When The Heat Is On

“Commit thy way unto the Lord; trust also in him; and He shall bring it to pass.  And He shall bring forth thy righteousness as the light, and thy judgment as the noonday.  Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for Him: fret not thyself because of him who prospereth in his way, because of the man who bringeth wicked devices to pass.”    Psalm 37:5-7

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The older I get, the more the book of Job is a comfort to me.  Having lost so much within a short period of time, the righteous man could have easily taken his eyes off the Lord and focused on his loss.  Instead, he laid hold of his confidence in the Great Provider and exclaimed, “Though He slay me, yet will I hope in Him” (Job 13:15).

It’s so very important that our eyes are fixed on the Lord at all times.  If they aren’t, our circumstances will dictate our emotions.  When things go smoothly, we are happy.  When times are rough, we are frustrated.

It’s vital that we remember God’s promises.  Claiming them when disaster strikes keeps us steady.  Knowing God’s nature (from studying His Word) reassures us of His faithfulness, His love, His justice, His righteousness.

Let’s commit together to trust Him in all circumstances, to follow Him closely.  He will NEVER leave us, nor forsake us.  (Hebrews 13:5)

Many blessings!

~Kelly

 

You Are The Apple Of God’s Eye!

“Whoever touches you touches the apple of His eye.”  ~Zech. 2:8

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It Is Well With My Soul

I’ve heard and sung this beloved hymn for many years.  It’s story never loses it’s power, no many times it’s been told.  Horatio G. Spafford, a very prominent lawyer in Chicago is the man who penned the lyrics.

 

 

 

 

In the 1860’s, life was going very smoothly for Horatio and Anna.  Four daughters and a son graced this couple’s lives.  They were enjoying wonderful Christian fellowship with D.L. Moody and members of their church.

Then the unthinkable happened.  (So many of us can identify with life going smoothly, then all of a sudden, it as though something broke loose and one horrible thing after another happens.)

Their only son, who was four years old, suddenly died of scarlet fever.  The very next year, the Chicago fires wipes out every single house Horatio and Anna had bought for investments.

Their family heartbroken over the death of the baby and the money lost, Horatio decided to take his wife and daughters on a trip to England to help D.L. Moody in one of his evangelistic crusades.  At the last minute, Horatio was called on immediate business.  Not wanting to delay the family’s trip, Horatio told Anna and their daughters to go ahead on the boat set for England and he would join them in a few days.  Nine days later Horatio received a telegram from Anna that simply said, “saved alone”.  A boat collided with the ship they were sailing.  In twelve minutes the ship sunk and all their daughters were killed.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dear Anna.  Her last memory of that horrible event was her standing on the deck watching Annie, Maggie, Bessie and Tanetta clinging to her, but torn away by the fierce waters.  Anna was spared by a plank underneath her.  She heard that small still voice say, “You were spared for a purpose”.  She immediately thought about what a friend had said to her, “It’s easy to be grateful and good when you have so much, but take care that you are not a fair-weather friend to God.”

 

 

 

 

As soon as Horatio got the telegram, he boarded the next ship leaving New York to join his wife.  He asked the captain of the ship to tell him when they sailed over the place where the accident happened.  When they reached the area where the ships collided, Horatio went down to his room and penned the words to “It Is Well With My Soul”, taken from 2 Kings 4:26.

These old hymns are such a treasure!  What is your favorite hymn story?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In His Presence

“I am ruined!  For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the LORD Almighty.”  Is. 6:5

 

 

 

 

 

 

One glimpse of the glory of God and our hearts are changed forever, amen? 

Jehovah Jireh ~ The Lord Our Provider

How often we forget that our self-sufficiency is not honoring to the Lord. We have all seen children who have learned to survive without the help of his or her parents. This is a poor reflection on the parents, is it not? In the same way, those of us who are born again and do not trust the continual love and provision of our Heavenly Father are casting a shadow upon His perfect, holy character. Our independence undermines all the blessings He has so freely given us.

The culture of our day teaches it is a good thing to be self-sufficient, yet God’s Word is clear we should be dependent on Him.