This past week we were studying about the Israelites and their struggles in the wilderness. I have read the story about the Israelites complaining in the wilderness before ( Exodus 15:22-27). I know the story of how the Lord lead them through the Red Sea and how He  protected them and provided for their needs! But this past week my eyes have really been open to how the Lord was truly trying to teach the Israelites as they walked in the wilderness.

We all have ups and downs in this life here on Earth. We walk in the valley and we climb the mountaintops! We rejoice and praise the Lord for his blessings and we grumble and complain when we face hardships and suffering. The Lord is probably looking down on us not knowing what to expect from day to day! We are like an emotional rollercoaster in His eyes! Take a look at the Israelites…they were rejoicing as they were being led out of Egypt, free from slavery! They were rejoicing as the Lord saved them with the parting of the Red Sea! But then, a month later, they began complaining and wishing they had just died in Egypt….at least when they were there they had food to eat! They were now starving to death (as they put it) and wished the Lord had left them alone back in Egypt under such harsh conditions! Had they forgotten their misery in Egypt? Had they forgoten how the Lord saved them and provided for them in times of trouble? They were angry at the Lord….and the Lord was angry with them! I could just hear Him now….” children, are you blind…I just parted the raging waters of the Red Sea for you and you want to go back to Egypt!” He was their provider and they forgot!

After their complaining the Lord decides to send Manna and Quail down to them. But the lesson hear lies in the fact that they must only take enough food for each day. I always understood that lesson of God’s provision, but my eyes have been open to a new insight this week…..you see, Manna, the bread from Heaven was given to them daily and there was an action that they needed to take! They were to feast upon it daily and they were to gather it daily! They needed to open their eyes and go out and gather the manna each morning. It was there for each of them, but it wasn’t dropped in their tents! They had to take action, get up, and go gather the manna before it disappeared. If they didn’t….it would be gone with the dew of the morning. It was offered to them (daily)….but they needed to grab onto it, gather it in their arms and make the most out of it. Would they ground it up, boil it, fry it, roll it out? What would they do with it? It was up to them!

Okay, here’s the application part….The Lord was their provision daily! I think we all get that….but if we dig a little deeper we see that what the Lord was teaching was that not only does He provide for us daily but that  we need to be active in gathering his offering (bread of life) and make the most of it! How can we apply His Word to our lives? How can we feast upon the daily bread and use it to nourish our souls? Many of us don’t take the time to gather His Word each and every day. We don’t take it in. We don’t apply it to our lives.  We forget who our God is, just the like the Israelites did! They wanted to go back to slavery instead of trusting in their Lord! He was more than sufficient for their needs…and the same goes for us! He is more than sufficient for our needs too!

He told the Israelites to take as much as they needed for the day! He would provide for all their needs, they just needed to gather it up! Take some time today and truly ask yourself….Am I gathering up the Bread of Life that the Lord has offered to me? How much are you taking in? Is it enough to feed your soul or are you still feeling empty?He is offering it to you each day so please take some time today and gather it up, meditate on it and use it to feed your soul!

Today the Lord has caught my attention by the change in weather. It is September and last night there was thunder and wind howling in the night. Needless to say a sleepless night! Today, the wind was mysterious as it came and went, sometimes quiet and sometimew with a roar. The clouds have shown themselves as dark and spooky, but then I would loo the other direction and they were  white and full of grace. . It made me ponder how the Lord was going to show himself today. The wind really strikes me as I think of the Holy Spirit and how He is around us and within us at all times. Have you experienced the presence of the Holy Spirit? Or maybe you have, but are unaware of him…..

In the passage, in 1Kings19:1-20, Elijah is discouraged and running for his life. He was lonely and scared as he just experienced  the kings court and the priesthood become corrupt. He felt like he was the only one left true to God and so he fled to Mount Sinai where God had spoken to Moses.He was waiting for the Lord to show himself in a miraculous way! Through the scriptures we realize the the Lord doesn’t always show himself in powerful and miraculous ways like the wind, earthquakes, or fire. Instead, the Lord sometimes shows himself  in just a simple whisper.

As I listened to the roar of the wind today…it reminded me to be aware of the the gentle whisper of the Lord and to open my heart and be humble before Him. God does show himself in miraculous ways, but most often He shows himself with just a gentle whisper. Are we missing it? Are you listening for God? Are your ears and eyes open to His mysterious ways?

I pray that today you would step back from the busyness of the day and  from the worries in your heart, and instead quiet your heart, turn to God and listen for the voice of the Lord…..be ready, He may come when you least expect it!

Psalm 95:6-7

May He show himself to you today as you search for the whisper…Psalm 62:1-2.

Honestly though, I think that most of us would agree that we are grateful for the gift of the Holy Spirit, as our Spirit of Truth. When Jesus was getting ready to leave his disciples, he told them that he would be leaving ,but He promised to give them the Holy Spirit who would not just be with them, but in them (John14:16-17). He reassured them that even though He was going away…. it was better for them because the Counselor would come to them (John16:7). John 14:16 stated that the Father will give us another Advocate that will never leave us. It is the Holy Spirit who will lead us into all truth!! He promises that the Holy Spirit will help us remember His teachings! As we study the Bible, the Holy Spirit can help us as we trust in Him to plant His truths in our mind and remind us when we stray! The Holy Spirit brings us conviction and correction when we stray from His path. We know this as we hear that little voice telling us not to make a certain choice or we feel nautious or uneasy about a decision we have made. On the other hand the Holy Spirit brings us peace and quiet within our souls when we are following His ways! This reassures us we are on the right path.

Maybe you are having trouble hearing His Spirit or maybe you can’t differentiate between your own desires and His path. I pray that you would open your heart and place all distractions aside. I pray that you would focus on your Lord by opening His word and sitting silently before His thrown. Be still and know that He is God by surrendering to Him and pray for Him to answer your request according to His will! The Holy Spirit lives within you….He is closer than you could ever imagine. Open your eyes to see and your heart to understand!

Take some time today and seek Him! Place your faith in His promise that as you search for him, you will find him!

2 Chronicles 15:2

Prov 3:6

Matthew 7:7

What things seem to steal, kill, or destroy your life? Maybe it’s the busyness around you, an illness, financial issues, bitterness, anger, a rough marriage, or negativity. These things take part of your life away don’t they? They bring heartache and difficulty. Wouldn’t you rather have a rich and satisfying life? What types of things would give you that? What brings you satisfaction and joy in your life? I would love to be in your head right now as you think of things that satisfy your life!! What overflows you with  joy deep down in your heart?

Lots of things satisfy us….at least for a while! I think of children when they open up their Christmas gifts and the joy radiating from them as they play with their new toys. But as we all know, that joy doesn’t last long ,as maybe a month goes by, and they are telling you they are bored! We get so annoyed at that don’t we!! But, I think as adults we need to turn that situation back on ourselves and dig deeper into our own hearts as we think about the things that bring us joy and satisfaction. What was on your list? Are the things that you were thinking of something that loses it’s joy as time goes by? Maybe a big house, an expensive car, or a vacation to the beach satisfies you! These satisfactions don’t last because eventually we want something else….kind of sounds like a child doesn’t it!?

As I have been taking time to reflect on WHO my God is, John 10:10 has been coming to me over and over. He gives abundantly. He came to give us a satisfying life. It is eternal, yet it begins immediately which means it isn’t just in Heaven, but that He gives us life here and now that is to be rich and full. It may be hard to see when you are going through difficult times. Many may be asking…is this the abundant life Jesus promised? Marriage difficulties, financial struggles, death, sadness, grief, hard times…this isn’t abundant life! What is Jesus talking about?

It has taken me a few years to grasp this concept. I remember asking a friend a few years ago where this abundant life was. I have just begun to realize that Jesus didn’t mean joy in all our circumstances. He didn’t mean that we wouldn’t struggle. Our abundant life is IN HIM not in this world. I am not saying that we don’t have joy in this world, but I am saying that our joy is made full in HIM. He is the one that gives abundantly. When you begin to grasp WHO your God is, you begin to see differently. You begin to look with different eyes…gazed upon Him and not on your circumstances and where life has placed you. Jesus comes alive IN YOU and consequently you have this abundant life that no longer is based on your possessions or surroundings, but instead on your heavenly father and all that HE GIVES…his comfort, his trust, his love, his forgiveness, his grace, his compassion, his gentleness, his kindness, his protection. All these things are constant and overflowing from our Heavenly Father. What can be more rich and more satisfying than that?

Take a few moments and read Psalm 63:1-5 , Proverbs 3:1-2 , Psalm 9:2 and reflect on the joy that the Lord brings to us. Take time to KNOW him and to reflect on the satisfaction that only he can give! Keep your focus on Him and enjoy the abundant life He offers to each of us as we take time to know our God!

I love this scripture verse as it is filled with such a vision of WHO our Lord is! He is a tender man! He is warm hearted and merciful! ! I picture myself looking in his eyes and seeing nothing but a heart that is open to all of his children regardless of the mistakes they have made. I see tenderness and love and grace beyond all measure.  I see a Father who wants nothing more than to spend time with his children and to help them to mature and grow in Him!

Today I want us to look in Mark 6 : 30-34 where Jesus feeds the five thousand. Many know this story, but today I want to focus on the beginning of the story as it teaches us about His compassion! The apostles had been out all day teaching and ministering to people. They were tired and hungry. Jesus said to them “Let’s go off by ourselves to a quiet place and rest awhile.”  Jesus said this because he knew that his friends needed some time to be refreshed and renewed. They had been serving all day and He could see they were tired and maybe even weary and of course hungry.  He was showing compassion as he sensed their needs and wanted them to know he cared about them. He knew that they were eager to minister to others but that they also needed to have time for rest and renewal. Jesus tells us this too as he says in Matthew 11:28 “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.” Whether we carry a heavy load from serving in his name or from the day to day stresses, we need to spend time with Him to be renewed and refreshed!

As we read on in Mark, they left by boat for a quiet place…but many people recognized them and saw them leaving and ran ahead of them to meet them. Jesus saw the huge crowd and it says in verse 34 that he had compassion on them because they were like sheep without a shepherd.He could see that they were lost and searching! Are you lost and searching? I hope that this scripture gives you hope today! He  will continue to seek you too!! It says that people from many towns ran ahead along the shore and got there ahead of them. Maybe you are still running and wondering how to find Him! The scripture today shows us that Jesus has compassion on us! He was ready to be with his friends and to rest and be renewed but He saw his lost sheep and so he stopped and began teaching them. He didn’t want them to be scattered and lost! He wants all to come to HIM!  He wants to be our shepherd! No matter where we are…He will take the time to feed his sheep! He has compassion on us!

Lets look in Ezekiel 34:11-16! He is the Good Shepherd who will rescue his lost sheep! He tells us that He, himself, will search for his scattered flock and rescue us from the dark and cloudy day!! I love this scripture as He tells us that not only will he rescue us but also that he will provide for us in all ways! We will be fed on the mountaintops and by the rivers that continually flow. We will lie down in pleasant places and feed in lush pastures. He also promises that he will tend his sheep! He doesn’t ship us off to another person or leave us alone…he will tend to us personally and provide for us all that we need and most importantly give us peace! Another point that strikes me in these passages is that even though we stray and get lost, he promises to bring us back home safely!!

I don’t know about you, but I stray often and I choose to walk my own path. Usually, I come crawling back to my Lord injured and weak because I ended up on the wrong path and beaten down! I realize that I need to put my hope and my trust in Him and that I need to follow my shepherd instead of straying in the fields! In verse 16 He says he will bandage the injured and strengthen the weak…..now that is a Lord full of compassion!! 

I think of the story in the Bible where the disciples are in the boat in the middle of the storm (Matthew 14:22-32) and Peter steps out onto the water. Peter is fine as long as he keeps his focus on Jesus, but as soon as he loses his focus and gets distracted by the waves and the storm, he begins to sink. His faith wavered as trouble came and his focus quickly turned from his Lord to his circumstances. How often does this happen to us? How often does our faith in him waver? Look at the way Jesus responded to Peter and his lack of faith…” You have so little faith! Why did you doubt me?”

He conquered the grave!! He is mightier than the mountains! Why do we doubt? I want to be like Peter and step out of the boat and trust that my Lord is going to keep me afloat!! I want to believe that my Lord is going to provide for my every need! I want to trust in Him that I will not sink when my storms come! How about you?? 

Trusting is hard to do! I think of my children as I want to trust them, but have seen them lie from time to time  to get their way or to get out of a punishment. I think of relationships where hurt and disappointment have occured and as a result my trust in them has been rocked. I think of our financial market and job security and know that we can’t count on those things as strongly as we used to. Trusting in our society today is very difficult to do.

The Bible says in Proverbs 3:5-6 to trust in the Lord with all your heart and do not depend on your own understanding. Seek His will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take!! Trust him with ALL of your heart that he will provide and that he will handle what you place at his feet! I read a quote the other day by Bridget Willard that says”We get so focused on micromanaging God and His Kingdom that we forget to realize that He is more than capable of handling things on His own”!  Isn’t that so true? He doesn’t need us to mess things up!! We get so caught up in trying to fix or manage our circumstances that we forget WHO is in control. We need to stop trying so hard and stop worrying so much and just allow Him to take control of our lives. Trust in Him! Seek Him! Surrender to Him and He will show you the way!

Peter believed that He could walk on water because Jesus was right there in front of him. He took the leap of faith and trusted in His Lord to direct his path and to keep him safe.  What in your life do you need to place at His feet? What areas in your life do you need to TRUST to Him? Is your focus on your Lord or on your circumstances? Don’t let your circumstances overwhelm you and keep you from looking towards Jesus! You might not see what he has planned for you and you most likely will not understand why you are in the middle of a storm!  Sometimes we are forced to take a leap of faith into the unknown! Faith is knowing that one of two things will happen…there will be something solid to stand firm on OR you will be taught to fly!! Trust in Him!

“Faith is to believe what you do not see, the reward of this faith is to see what you believe.” -Saint Augustine

Wadsworth United Methodist Church’s

Women’s Ministry Team

would like to invite you to attend:

“Unlocking the Beatitudes”

on Friday, September 25^th from 7:00 p.m. ~ 9:00 p.m. and

Saturday, September 26^th from 8:30 a.m. ~ 3:30 p.m.

 A life of heartbreak can indeed be blessed.  As a child who suffered sexual abuse, Becky Harling learned to live with an emotional script of shame, fear, and distrust. As an adult, she learned that life’s heartbreaks are many and varied. Determined to overcome her pain, Becky set out to rewrite the emotional script she had followed for years. Her search for healing led to Christ’s Sermon on the Mount, and what she discovered forever changed her life.  In her second book, Becky invites women to let go of past hurts and redefine how they respond to life’s emotional challenges. Based on the beloved words of the Beatitudes, Rewriting Your Emotional Script speaks directly to a woman’s unique struggles and shows how to find hope in life’s heartbreaks.

Please register no later than September 21^st at www.wadsumc.org or by calling Jennifer at (330) 336 – 7202.  The cost of this event is only $10.00 and includes refreshments, lunch and much more!

 “Blessed are the poor in spirit…those who mourn…the meek…those who hunger and thirst for righteousness…the merciful…the pure in heart…the peacemakers…those who are persecuted because of righteousness…you when people insult you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me.”

“The scriptures give us hope and encouragement as we wait patiently for Gods’ promises to be fulfilled” Romans 15:4

How often do you look to scriptures for your Hope? I want you to think about that question for a moment as you look back at difficult times in your life. Where did you look for help and support? Did you go to a friend? Did you turn to a mentor? Did you take the conflict or difficult time on yourself and try to fight through it alone?  

Take a look at these verses  in Hebrews 6:18-19:

“We who have fled to him for refuge can have great confidence as we hold to the hope that lies before us. This hope is a strong and trustworthy anchor for our souls. It leads us through the curtain into Gods’ inner sanctuary.”

I love those words as they tell me that my hope is secure…anchored in God. As we run to Him for our safety and protection we can have confidence in Him. How many things do you really have confidence in right now? Are you confident of your financial state? Are you confident in your health? Do you have confidence in the security of your job? Do you have confidence of the safety of your children each day? Are you confident that your marriage is always going to be strong and secure? It is hard to have confidence in our daily lives isn’t it? We have obstactles that come our way that strain our confidence and we begin to doubt and worry.

But the scriptures tell us to wait patiently for God’s promises to be fulfilled. The scriptures tell us to put our Hope in Him! He is trustworthy! Look to Hebrews 10:23 as it tells us to hold tightly without wavering, for God can be trusted to keep His promises! He doesn’t waver! He is the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow (Hebrews 13:8)! The Bible is full of His promises! Take some time today to look up some of His promises and remember that you can truly trust Him to fulfill them! Put your Hope in your Lord (Psalm 42:5) because when you put your hope in other things….disappointment and discouragement may come your way (Proverbs 13:12)!

Psalm 146:6

Psalm 145:20

Psalm 145:14

Psalm 121:1-8

Psalm 91:14-16

Put your Hope in the Lord and seek first His Kingdom above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need (Matthew 6:33)! Read Matthew 6:25-34 for encouragement and hope that the Lord will watch over you and provide for all your needs!

Psalm 84:5

I love this verse as it reminds me of my journey with Christ. It’s been 7 years this month that I began my pilgrimage to Jerusalmen! The more I travel, the more I realize that the journey is long and that as we  journey we come face to face with struggles and weeping as well as mountain top experiences. It’s like a roller coaster! I don’t know about you but as I get older, roller coasters aren’t as much fun as they used to be!!  I would rather be at the top hill and just sit there!

I have been praying alot lately about WHO my God is….and JOY has been coming to my mind constantly. He IS my JOY! I have come from the valley and am on my way up to the mountain top. Through my struggles, I have come to know WHO my God is. There have been many times when I questioned Him because he wasn’t there (at least I thought he wasn’t). There were many times when I put Him in a box and limited my thoughts of who He was and what He could do in my life. I couldn’t see Him and I felt like He wasn’t there at all. All I saw was darkness. As my struggles continued I began to doubt Him and His love for me. But His love remained! He is faithful to His children!  Why would He even want to help me when my faith waivered so much? Have you ever struggled so much that you truly did not trust in Him and His promises? Maybe you even pushed Him away or even questioned if there truly was a God!

The good news in my life, is that He never gave up on me. He continued to pursue me even though I had lost hope in Him. He helped me get back on my feet and He placed a desire in my heart to pursue Him. I set my mind on my pilgrimage towards Him and through my journey I have found joy again, in HIM!. He gave me strength to move forward and pulled me out of the pit I was in. If you continue to read in Psalm 84:6-7 you will be encouraged, as I was, that  as we walk through the Valley of Weeping, it becomes a place of refreshing springs. The Lord will provide for you in the valley and refreshment will come. There is NO JOY greater than knowing Him and seeing Him at work in your life! You will continue to grow stronger and you will appear before the Lord!  If you contine to pursue the Lord, He will give you strength to move through your valley! Make sure that in those times, that your pilgrimage moves towards God, not away from Him. He is a faithful and loving God (Psalm 36:5)! He cares for you!

I pray that you will find joy in your pursuit of Him. Read Psalm 84:1-4 and remember how lovely is His dwelling place and how much He wants to dwell within your heart! Give him the chance to be your JOY!!

Have you ever felt those words? Have you ever had a battle going on inside of you and you can’t settle yourself? This is where Job is at this point in his life. Job was experiencing extreme physical pain as well as grief  over the loss of his family and possessions. He was wishing he were dead. He was at the point where he could not bear it any longer.  He was at a point in his life where he could easily just give up and rebel against the Lord OR he could trust the Lord and draw strength from him to continue. Had he lost his perspective and his focus on the Lord? Had he been so beaten down that he could no longer see the LIGHT? Where was his hope? He was tired of dealing and just wanted out! Have you ever been there? 

We get so consumed in our circumstances. We think about them constantly. We worry. We wonder what we can do to change them or undo them or improve them.  We get weary and tired of trying our hardest to cope with the heartaches and difficulties of day to day life. They take our focus away from where it should be.We are fixers are we? When issues arise that need fixed, we dive right in and try to fix everything that is wrong. We don’t stop until it is fixed.  With that, comes anxiety and doubt and a heart that is troubled. No peace. No quietness. No rest. How do we find peace in our troubled circumstances and trials?

We are always looking for the answers aren’t we? Why? How? When?  Many times we don’t get answers!   At those times when we don’t have the answers, are we willing to trust God in spite of unaswered questions? Isn’t knowing God better than knowing the answers? This is where our peace comes in!! When we focus on HIM and WHO He is rather on our circumstances, trials, or suffering we become stronger and are filled with a peace knowing that we are not in control but that rather He is in control! He is in control, even when He is silent. Even when we are waiting, God is active. Believe that truth!

So, when we listen to Job’s words in Job 3:26 we must ask ourselves where can we get the peace and quietness and rest? The answer is from the Lord! But, it begins with us as we lay our desires at His feet. Lay our circumstances at His feet.  “Delight in Him and He will give you the desires of your heart” Psalm 37:4…..to delight in Him is to take pleasure in Him! Get to know Him by dwelling in His word and taking time to be with him each day. Delight in Him. Turn your tables by placing your focus on Him instead of your struggles and trials. Let Him handle your circumstances. As you begin to do this, you will find peace, quietness, and rest. You will gain a trust in Him and your faith will begin to flourish.

If you glance through the book of Job, you will see that as Job was ready to give up and began questioning the Lord, that He was challenged by the Lord. God asks Job a series of questions which no human could possibly answer. Job recognized that he wasn’t trusting in His Lord and that he needed to humble himself before the Lord and trust in His sovereignty over all things. We don’t always have to know the answers to all of our questions. We don’t have to fix all of our troubled circumstances.We do need to humble ourselves, lift up our burdens, and trust in the maker of the heavens and the earth. As we come to Him, he will give us rest!

Take some time yourself to dwell in His word and to find the peace and understanding that you need to help you in your circumstances! Take time to KNOW your God!

John 16:33

Philippians 4: 4-9

Psalm 91:1-16