Tag Archives: Trust

Da-Da Fix It – Susan Dollyhigh
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We are Broken

The righteous cry out, and the LORD hears them; he delivers them from all their troubles. The LORD is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit. The righteous person may have many troubles, but the LORD delivers him from them all… Psalm 34: 17-19 (NIV)

“Broke,” my grandson Drew said as he held up his red Matchbox car in one hand and a set of wheels in another. I watched as a frown furrowed Drew’s forehead while he turned the car over and tried to snap the wheels back into place.

With all of the manual dexterity of a two-year-old, Drew worked to replace the wheels on the underside of his small car. But it soon became evident, even to Drew, that this problem was too difficult for him. I expected Drew to become frustrated, perhaps cry or maybe even throw his toy down, but he walked over and calmly placed it on the coffee table; looked over at his mama, and said, “Da-Da fix it.” Drew left his broken car on the table and turned around to play with something else.

“Whenever something breaks,” Amy said, “Drew just puts it down and says, ‘Da-Da fix it.’ He thinks his daddy can fix anything.”

I have many things in life that I hold up and say, “Broke.” Relationships, finances, health – “broke.” A frown furrows my forehead while I try to put the pieces of my life back together.

With all the spiritual maturity of my fifty-four years, I work to fix my problems until it becomes evident that they are too difficult for me. Unlike Drew, sometimes I do become frustrated, cry, and even throw up my hands in despair.

Yet the Lord tells us to give him our broken pieces; to place them at the foot of the cross, walk away, and have enough faith to say, “My Heavenly Father will fix it.”

I know He can fix anything.

Heavenly Father, thank You for loving us and hearing us when we cry out to You. Thank You for being close to us when we are brokenhearted. Thank You for the promise of delivering us from all our troubles. In the sweet name of Jesus, Amen.

Susan Shelton Dollyhigh is a freelance writer and columnist who won the Women of Faith Shine the Light Contest and three awards at the Blue Ridge Christian Writers Conference. She resides in Mount Airy, NC. www.inspirationfrommayberry.com

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Training Wheels – Sarah Stasik
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Training the Trainable

Guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my Savior, and my hope is in you all day long. Psalm 25:5

I removed the training wheels from my son’s bike for the first time. It only took about an hour before he was flying up and down the driveway, but the first forty-five minutes of that hour I spent standing next to the bike, arguing with him. He was adamant that a bike simply would not work with only two wheels. Science and gravity and child-logic were all against it.

The last fifteen minutes were spent climbing—full of doubt—onto the bike. I pushed him around the yard until he was up to speed. A bit later, he made circles around us yelling, “It’s like I have extra legs. Two legs to pedal and two legs I can’t see, holding me up. It’s easy.”

I think about that moment now, years later, and as a mom, how proud I was of his accomplishment. It reminds me of a joy-filled afternoon. But I also think about how the lesson applies to life in general. I worry, fret, and decide things won’t work. Science and reason and adult-logic are against them.

How many times do we pedal furiously through life, sure we are about to topple over? Many people put their feet down every few yards, afraid of falling, and get nowhere. Our fear, our disbelief, and our inability to let go and KNOW we have two legs we can’t see holding us up, keep us from getting to our destination.

Just as the little child must learn the bike will work with only two wheels, we must know there is someone else in charge of our bike ride through life. We may pedal, we may turn the wheel, but our bike is guided by Jesus. If we believe, if we turn our bike over to him, then we too can cry out as we are caught up in the joy of life:

Believe. “It’s EASY!”

Sarah Stasik lives on a crooked mountain in Virginia with her husband and son. Her writing has appeared in publications such as The Kid’s Ark, Penned from the Heart, and Standard Publishing’s Program books. Read Sarah’s devotions.

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Delay Doesn’t Always Mean Denial – Elaine Price
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Give me answers...Now!

Yet when he heard that Lazarus was sick, he stayed where he was two more days. John 11:6

Weeks of tests came down to one phone call – Chron’s disease. The specialist was almost certain our three-year-old had the disease. He was supposed to call in the morning. It was 6 p.m. and I had spent the entire week seeking after God — praying for deliverance from this trial. I also prayed He would be our refuge regardless of the results.

I wanted immediate answers. I’m not alone; others like to have things on their own time-table too.

When Mary and Martha received the message their brother’s sickness would not end in death, Lazarus was already dead. What good was Jesus’ message then? Jesus could have saved their brother, but He took His time. In their grief they may have wondered if God had denied their request to save their brother’s life, but they were mistaken. Jesus’ delay forced them to wait for the miracle. He would do something they never dreamed.

God has taught me life is full of delays but it doesn’t always mean denial. Sometimes God asks me to wait. It frustrates me, hurts my pride, and even sometimes angers me, but I can rest assured He hears me and has my best in mind. Even more than my best, He has His Glory in mind. Lazarus died so Jesus could raise him from the dead and bring glory to God. When I wait, God shows me the eternal things at stake—the things that will ultimately bring Him glory.

At 6:30 p.m. the phone rang. The results were all normal. While my family praised God for the good report, I realized I had spent more time with Him in the past week than I’d spent in a month. I’d been in the arms of my Father from the beginning. No matter the circumstance, His arms are always a safe place to fall.

The next time you are waiting on God, remember you’re not alone. Just because He doesn’t respond on our time-table doesn’t mean He is denying our requests. It means He knows best in the greater scheme of things.

When you grow impatient, seek Him, His will, and ultimately His glory. Wait. God will show you the best.

Elaine Price is a minister’s wife, a freelance writer, and a student of God’s Word. Visit her blog at www.devotionsforthejourney.blogspot.com. She is also very active in the music and preschool activities at her home church. She and her husband and three young sons make their home in Odenville, Alabama.

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Does Prayer Guarantee Protection? – Jana Dean
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Prayer and Protection

And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow–not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. Romans 8:38

He didn’t win. When my cyclist son feels good about a race, his voice tilts upward into the curves of a smile, which I can hear even over a cell phone. Not hearing the smile, my mind went into instant Mom mode.

“Are you okay?” He was chasing the breakaway. It started raining — then the pack caught up and in the slippery conditions, gravity took over and cyclists piled up like matchwood in a crash. My son landed on his chin. He’ll need stitches. I ‘m hundreds of miles away. What about all the people praying—shouldn’t that have guaranteed victory? Success? At least protection from a crash?

Why do we automatically think that way? God never promised a pain-free, risk-free existence. Paul talked about enduring the race set before him and his race was no picnic — shipwrecks, beatings, snakebite, imprisonment. Yet we hear the curves of a smile in his voice, for nothing can separate us from the love of God — neither death, nor life, nor the powers that be — and I add, or another scar on your chin.

Does prayer guarantee protection? No. But God is with us, and when we turn to Him in prayer, the shipwrecks and bike wrecks go under His management instead of ours. In prayer, His peace that passes understanding has a chance of passing into our hearts and minds—as far as we will let it. God’s perfect love trumps our need to be in control.

Hundreds of miles away, I can trust that the Almighty Creator is in charge, and is in love with my son, and with me. Regardless of how the race goes, God’s love covers us, and that’s all we need. Accept the challenge God is offering you. Trust His love today.

Jana Dean is a globe-trotting missionary kid who resides in Kentucky. She supports her writing habit as a corporate communicator and sales trainer. She also teaches youth Sunday school, and performs as keyboardist and vocalist with Aaron Austin and the Bootleg Preachers, as well as the women’s trio, Rahab’s Rope.

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Sometimes He Calms the Storm – Charles Arndt
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And he saith unto them, Why are ye fearful, O ye of little faith? Then he arose, and rebuked the winds and the sea; and there was a great calm. Matthew 8:26

Buckets of rain crashed sideways into the side of the house. The wind howled a mysterious sound. It was one-thirty A.M. and flashes of lightning illuminated our dark bedroom. A storm.

“Should we go to the basement?” my wife asked.

“Uh-huh,” I replied.

She quickly gathered our twelve-pound red poodle and started toward the basement. I grabbed a flashlight and guided my wife down the cellar steps. There in the corner of the basement we listened to the thunder crash. Flashes of lightning illuminated the room as the storm howled overhead. I prayed the Lord would look after us and take care of us. Then the storm was gone.

As we emerged through the darkness from the basement, I sat in the comfort of my easy chair and watched the miracle of this storm disappear. I was awed in God’s power.

Man, in all of his wisdom and knowledge, cannot come close to producing anything like we had just witnessed. I remembered the time Jesus and his disciples sat in a boat while a fierce storm tossed the craft back and forth. They, like us, were scared, but He was with them. In their fear, the disciples woke Jesus and pleaded for safety. “Where is your faith?” Jesus said and then told the storm to be still. Instantly the storm listened and the waters were calmed.

If He is so powerful that even the storms and weather listen, what’s our excuse? Shouldn’t we pay attention when he tells us something? O ye of little faith. Listen and see what He tells you to do. Sometimes it’s hard to hear through the noise and distraction of the storm but he always answers, in His time. Listen and have faith. He is in control.

Charles Arndt enjoys writing Christian devotionals, hunting, fishing, and riding his Harley. He and his wife live in the middle of a big wood outside a small town in South Carolina.
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A Parent’s Prayer – Martin Wiles
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My child how happy I will be if you turn out to be wise!
Proverbs 27:11 NLT

Will they be wise? I may not have asked this out loud, but when I first laid eyes on each of my children, I surely prayed it silently. At the first signs of rebellion I’m sure I voiced it again.

All parents have been there. I remember the day I first held my children and thought how beautiful and sweet they were. I couldn’t imagine them doing anything wrong or spiteful. Of course, that was before they woke you at night screaming for a bottle or before they sprayed baby food all over you. Before they cried, yelled, and threw a temper tantrum.

I suddenly discovered they weren’t the most charming children in the world and I began to worry about the decisions they’d make as they grew. Peer pressure, smoking, alcohol, drugs—the world was primed to toss terrible things their way. When I gazed on them in their cribs I was confident they would always make intelligent decisions, but now with a little experience, fear crept in. My wife and I prayed diligently to keep them on the right path.

Teaching your children to choose the right path is a challenging command with a double edge. The teaching is easy. Trusting our children to make sensible decisions is more difficult and disappointment follows when they fail. God keeps my children nestled in His hands and covered in His promises.

Unlike my father, I don’t blame myself when my grown children make unwise decisions. My conscience is clear. I taught them godly standards and if they choose to walk the broad path of disobedience, that’s between them and God. But I’m always overjoyed when they choose the wise path of faithfulness.

Our responsibility is to teach our children godly principles and turn them over to God. Love them through their failures and celebrate them in their triumphs. Most of all . . . pray.

Each night, when you lay down to sleep, trust your children to Christ. He holds them tight in His palm.

Dr.Martin Wiles is an ordained minister currently serving as Senior Pastor of First Baptist Church, Harleyville, South Carolina. He holds degrees from Baptist College of Florida and Southern Baptist School in Jacksonville, Florida. He has authored two books and has served as a regional correspondent for the Baptist Courier. He has also been published in Proclaim, The Sounds of Poetry, Fires of Genius, as well as other anthologies of poetry. Martin and his wife Michelle, currently reside in Harleyville, SC. They have two children.
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No Worries – Barbara Durnil
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So do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own. Matthew 6:34 NASB

When did this bed get so hard? My mind flipped from one idea to another, refusing to bow to the hour of night. My body succumbed to the frenzy of my mind and I threw the covers aside. I left the chamber of distress and headed for the office where I could think in the light.

I needed a plan…money was short. The dark bedroom created alarming scenes of unemployment, debt, sacrifice, homelessness, and hunger. I needed to anticipate all these things and to prepare. The soft light of the lamp spilled onto the fringes of the desk, and brushed the picture of my granddaughter. What if I lose the house and must relocate?

The antique gold ring, the Courbette English saddle, and Wilson K-28 golf clubs became objects of income. I saw myself mending clothes past their prime and planting a garden. The newspaper lay open on the desk to the employment ads and taunted me with empty possibilities. Eventually, my rescue efforts consumed me. The future in front of me turned black.

Morning came and with the light came revelation. In trying to visualize every possibility in the future, I lost the moment. Darkness does that; it blinds the vision of the now and harbors shadows of the maybe. Satan’s darkness does that too. When I look away from the Son I lose sight of God orchestrating the present. I was organizing my future without knowledge of its contents. There were steps to take that were time appropriate, and God’s grace was given to me for that day.

Jumping ahead of God’s plan put Him out of my sight. If I am already into tomorrow’s worries, then I am ahead of God. That places His light behind me, and casts my own shadow in front of me, creating darkness.

Walking in tomorrow’s sunlight is impossible; the light of the Son also is for today. Trust He will rise again tomorrow.

Barbara Durnil is a retired medical worker and freelance writer. As a born again Christian, she has loved and followed God for thirty-three years, teaching and holding leadership positions in the Christian Community. Listening to God and writing His voice are her joys and passions.
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I’m A Fixer – Celeste Vaughn
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Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added unto you. Matthew 6:33

I am a fixer. When someone shares problems with me, I automatically go into problem-solving mode. As a pharmacist, I was trained to help people solve their medication problems, but I can’t stop there. If I don’t know the solution, I feel compelled to find someone who does.

Seven years of grand mal seizures, migraine headaches, severe depression, insomnia, and prescription drug addiction sent me into “fixer” overdrive. I tried everything under the sun to fix myself and failed miserably every time.

It was not until I completely surrendered my life to God that he healed me and taught me two very important lessons.

First, we never truly know how people feel until we’ve walked in their shoes.

During my first fourteen years as a pharmacist, I counseled patients on their medications, but no matter how much I knew about the medication, I could not understand the patient. I could not see why they felt the need for daily antidepressants, pain medication, or anti-anxiety and sleeping pills. Well, God had a remedy for that problem. For seven years I had firsthand training in empathy.

Second, no matter how much we want to help someone else with their problem, they must be ready to help themselves.

This one is frustrating. Now that I am on the other side of my struggle, I can see so clearly why I struggled so long. I had to learn the hard lessons myself. I was given advice time and time again to improve my health—some good, some bad, and some just far-fetched and silly. The advice of the godly people around me was good advice, but I could not or would not receive it. For whatever reason, I had to learn the lessons myself. God let me get to the end of myself before I could completely and honestly surrender to Him.

Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added unto you.

The Bible tells us to seek God first—not the Internet, the advice of friends, or pills — only God. It’s okay to be a problem solver, but we must go at it a little different way. Instead of fixing the problem, we must help find a solution, and that solution starts with Christ.

Celeste Vaughan graduated from the USC College of Pharmacy and settled comfortably into her life as a pharmacist, wife, and mom of three children. After fourteen years working as a pharmacist, she found herself on the other side of the counter and suffered for seven years with migraine headaches, grand mal seizures, and severe depression. On September 25, 2010, God intervened in her life and changed her forever. He has now called her into a ministry of writing and speaking, using her story to help others find happiness and their true purpose in life through Christ.
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Here Are My Needs, God – She Said
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Pray for Me

Here Are My Needs, God – She Said

And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people. Ephesians 6:18

to Here Are My Needs, God – She Said
She brought tears to my eyes.

“Cin,” she said, “I just wanted you to know, I’m praying for you. I don’t know what’s going on. But I woke up with you on my heart.”

It couldn’t have been better timing. My husband and I were in the middle of a major decision. We were hurt, sad…broken. Tears welled.

“It’s just I hear you pray so often for others and you rarely ask for prayer for yourself.”

She was right. I rarely ask for prayer for myself. It’s not that I feel as though I don’t need it…Lord knows I need it a lot. But when I look at the needs of others, my issues are so much less. How wrong was that thought? Very.

Paul stressed the importance of “all kinds” of prayers and requests. He’d previously reminded of us the importance of suiting up in the full armor of God. Covering ourselves in the protection of Christ then taking every type of prayer request before Him. No one knew better than Paul, the importance of every prayer. He’d been in some pretty dicey spots and had he chosen not to pray for himself who knows what would have happened. In fact, Paul never hesitated to ask his brothers in Christ to lift him before the Father. Those prayers presented to God, played a part in saving Paul over and over.

I’ve been wrong about a lot of things but never as wrong as when I assume my personal prayer needs are less than someone elses’. When I fail to ask my Christian friends to pray for me, I’m telling God I can handle things on my own…I don’t need or want His help. Even though that’s not my intention, it’s certainly the impression I give my Abba Father. Christ was the one who instructed us to pray for one another, to lift every need before Him. The God of all loves me and my needs as much as He loves the next person.

Christ set the example in the garden when He looked to His Father in heaven and asked, could this be taken from Him? Jesus carried even His personal needs and concerns to His Father.

I need to lay all my needs at the feet of Christ. My guess is, you do too. What do you say, we go hand in hand to our knees and say, “Here are my needs God.” Then let Him take them.

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Eddie Jones and Cindy Sproles are friends and cofounders of ChristianDevotions.us. They cowrite the popular He Said, She Said devotions and host Blog Talk Radio’s Christian Devotions SPEAK UP! along with Scott McCausey. Eddie and Cindy travel and speak at conferences across the country and they are available to speak at your church or conference. Contact them at cindy@christiandevotions.us.

 

 

Do you sense something vital missing from you relationship with your spouse, children, and God? Try He Said, She Said: A Devotional Guide to Cultivating a Life of Passion. This compilation of 54 devotions includes scripture verses, space for journaling, individual prayers and words of wisdom from two of today’s funniest and insightful Christian authors. This heart-warming collection of stories will inspire you to reach for the true source of joy: a life lived for and through God. These deeply personal devotions offer biblical insights and spiritual truths from the perspective of one man and one woman.

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The Perfect Teacher – Nivine Richie
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When Jesus looked up and saw a great crowd coming toward him, he said to Philip, “Where shall we buy bread for these people to eat?” He asked this only to test him, for he already had in mind what he was going to do. – John 6:5-6 NIV

“How should an investor evaluate the performance of a bond investment portfolio?” As a finance professor at a regional state university, I don’t ask questions because I need answers. I ask because I want my students to think: to wrestle with tough problems and discover answers on their own.

Jesus often used questions to teach his disciples. In John, Jesus asked Philip where to find bread for the crowd—not because Jesus needed to know, but because Philip needed to know that all provision comes from Christ.

Many situations in our lives present us with difficult questions, and we find Jesus teaching us just as He taught His disciples. We face questions like: “Where will I find the time to take this meal to a sick neighbor?” or “How will we ever pay such a large medical bill?” Sometimes the questions are small and other times they’re overwhelming.

We learn that even when questions seem impossible to answer, Jesus already knows the solution.

When you face a crisis or a crossroad in your life where you wonder, “Why is this happening to me?” — trust Him to know the answer, even if He hasn’t shared it with you yet. Ask Him to help you trust Him in spite of the circumstances around you. He holds the future in His hand.

Though circumstances look cloudy, God sees clearly.

Nivine Richie is a women’s Bible study teacher in Wilmington, NC where she and her husband Pat enjoy raising their two high-school age kids. She writes and teaches to encourage women of all ages. She is the co-author of Growing through the Storms of Life: A Woman’s Perspective, with E. Truman Herring. Nivine is an Associate Professor of Finance at the University of North Carolina Wilmington.
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