Tag: you are not alone

His reigndrops keep fallin’ on my head…

“True peace comes not from the absence of trouble, but from the presence of God.”  Alexander MacLaren

For those of you who are music aficionados, you’ve probably already noticed I’ve taken the liberty of modifying B. J. Thomas’ 1969 hit song title “Raindrops Keep Fallin’ On My Head” for purposes of this post. If you’re unfamiliar with this song it’d be easy to think the song speaks about life from a negative viewpoint based solely on the title. But that’d be an incorrect assumption because the despondency of the title doesn’t reflect the song’s overall positive outlook as proclaimed by the oft repeated upbeat and hopeful lyric “it won’t be long till happiness steps up to greet me.”

Likewise, I was recently greeted by an unexpected, but wonderful reminder of the Lord’s enduring and kind presence during an unwelcome walk initiated by my dog on a cold, windy, and rainy night. When you gotta go, you gotta go, you know? So, I put on my hoodie, leashed up McCartney (yes, named after the Beatle!) and out the door I reluctantly went. And, yes, in anticipation of the foul weather awaiting us I grabbed an umbrella hoping it would provide at least some protection from the rain.

I have to say that zigzagging up and down our street while my pooch meticulously searches for that oh so perfect spot to do his business is not a favorite pastime of mine even in pleasant weather. As you might imagine, the soggy conditions like we were experiencing that evening only served to add more distress to my already discontented mood.

So there I was dutifully following McCartney back and forth about the neighborhood avoiding the deeper puddles as best I could, when suddenly my attention was diverted to the warm, soothing glow of the image of the cross cast upon the inside of my umbrella by the nearby street light. Instantly I was joyfully reminded of His certain, ongoing presence in my life and the gloom of the dreary night cheerfully faded away.

My dear brothers and sisters in Christ, I don’t pretend to know what you’re going through right now, but I do know that whatever it is, He is there and has not forgotten about you, His beloved child. Having experienced my five year old startup company failing in September, 2022, I can personally attest to that overarching truth for He has been with my wife and I every step of the way before, during, and since that life-changing collapse. So, be encouraged to take your eyes off the storm raging around you, and instead look to Jesus, the Author and Perfecter of your faith (Hebrews 12:2.)

Whenever we find ourselves worrying, our first action ought to be to get alone with God and worship Him…. We must realize that He is big enough to solve our problems. Warren Wiersbe

In and through these precious, life-giving words of scripture to follow, I pray you find the much needed faith, trust and hope you seek that only He can provide. May you securely rest in the comfort of His warm embrace knowing that even when it’s raining in your life, He reigns. Indeed, His dew drops of mercy are new every morning, a glorious and refreshing flood washing over us. Oh, my friend, what a Savior we have in Jesus!

The Lord appeared to us in the past,saying: “I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with unfailing kindness. Jeremiah 31:3 (NIV)

He shall cover you with His feathers, And under His wings you shall take refuge; His truth shall be your shield and buckler. Psalm 91:4 (NKJV)

Fear not, for I am with you;
Be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, Yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.’ Isaiah 41:10 (NKJV)

Be strong and of good courage, do not fear nor be afraid of them; for the Lord your God, He is the One who goes with you. He will not leave you nor forsake you.” Deuteronomy 31:6 (NKJV)

Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid. John 14:27 (NKJV)

But those who wait on the Lord
Shall renew their strength;
They shall mount up with wings like eagles, They shall run and not be weary, They shall walk and not faint. Isaiah 40:31 (NKJV)

Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. Romans 15:13 (NKJV)

1!1!1

“Let it Rain (Live)” by Michael W. Smith from the album “Worship.”

trucks top rescue

(photo courtesy of Mindi H.)

“Unless Your law had been my delight, I would have then perished in my affliction.”  Psalm 119:92

“What do you think?  If a man has one hundred sheep, and one of them goes astray, doesn’t he leave the ninety-nine, go to the mountains, and seek that which has gone astray?”  Matthew 18:12

Not long ago our friend, Mindi, shared an experience with me about the Lord sending her life giving hope and encouragement in a most unexpected and unlikely way during an extremely sad and very difficult time in her life.

Some years ago Mindi’s job was cleaning the bathrooms at a truck stop.  She described it as “doing a filthy job in a filthy place.”  You can only imagine what it must have been like—what she had to deal with day in and day out.

One day, despite the appalling physical conditions surrounding her, she confessed with head bowed low that she was so hungry that she was considering eating half-eaten food that had hopefully been left behind in the trash can in the nasty restroom she was about to clean.

Brushing away the tears of hopelessness in her eyes she opened up the door to the restroom to begin her job when she was completely startled by the unanticipated presence of a bird sitting on the sink in the restroom.

Describing that moment, she said, “The bird just sat there sweetly looking at me, tenderly reminding me God was with me, watching over me. Instantly my focus was changed from my circumstances to Him. It was a deeply beautiful moment when I truly felt…well, not so alone.”

Isn’t it wonderful how stories like this one of hope restored make us feel not so alone, too?  Even when it seems all is lost and we have been forgotten God reminds us in Psalms 34:18 that He is there for us saying, “The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.”

Echoing Mindi’s experience Rick Warren  beautifully observes, “Your most profound and intimate experiences of worship will likely be in your darkest days—when your heart is broken, when you feel abandoned, when you’re out of options, when the pain is great—and you turn to God alone.”  Amen, brother, amen.

In the midst of your brokenness He still lovingly calls out to you, “Where are you?” just as He did with Adam and Eve in the garden.  Ever the prodigal child’s Father, He longs for you to return to Him and in so doing runs to your side and embraces you, desiring to fill you with hope and joy, all the while wiping away your tears in a beautiful, shared moment of tender worship and intimacy no matter where you might be…even if it’s in a highly unlikely place of worship such as a filthy restroom at a truck stop.

Are you surprised He, the creator of the universe, the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, would choose to show up for you in such a place? Are there valleys so uncomfortably and painfully low in your life that you believe the Lord will not meet you there?

Deep down you think to yourself, “He would never come here…no, not to such a dark, ugly, shadow-filled place as I’m now in.” Let us prayerfully reconsider such thoughts.

In “Within and Without” Ann Voscamp puts it this way: “The secret to joy is to keep seeking God where we doubt He is.”  Isn’t this what David is saying in Psalm 23:4? “Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; For You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.”

The truth is the very opposite of what those negative w-hiss-pers in your head are trying to persuade you to believe about Him: there is nowhere…NOWHERE…He will not go to be with you…to rescue you.  Indeed, Jesus declares, in Matthew 28:20b, “And surely I am with you ALWAYS, to the very end of the age.” 

“Where can I go from Your Spirit?  Or where can I flee from Your presence?  If I ascend into heaven, You are there; if I make my bed in hell, behold, You are there.  If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, even there Your hand shall lead me, and Your right hand shall hold me.  If I say, ‘Surely the darkness shall fall on me,’ even the night shall be light about me; indeed, the darkness shall not hide from You, but the night shines as the day; the darkness and the light are both alike to You.” Psalm 139:7-12

Cory Asbury, Reckless Love (radio version)