My Deliverer

I sought the LORD, and He heard me,
And delivered me from all my fears.
~ Psalm 34:4

When God Seems Distant

For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the LORD, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon Me and go and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart.
~ Jeremiah 29:11-13

Sometimes we feel ready to give up on God, simply because He doesn't seem to be answering us when we pray to Him. This is a common assumption we make as humans. We hate being ignored!

Although I had read the first sentence of this passage from Jeremiah several times over the years, it wasn't until I read on that I made a discovery that changed my relationship with God. Go back and read the entire passage as it is written above. It says that "then you will call upon Me and go and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart".

It dawned on me that God really does desire relationship with His children. He does not want us to half-heartedly ask Him for things. He wants us to first want Him, to actively go and pray and seek and search Him with all of our hearts. I have found that in doing so, my desires and requests have begun to align more with His desires and will for me. I am happier. I see the fingerprints of God in my life every day, and it fills me with joy. I am never alone.

God wants us to be like the Psalmist, who wrote:

As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, O God.
~ Psalm 42:1

What a beautiful truth!

A Morsel of Wisdom

Commit your works to the LORD,
And your thoughts will be established.
~ Proverbs 16:3

Love

My little children, let us not love in word or in tongue, but in deed and in truth.
~ 1 John 3:18

He is Faithful

Immediately Jesus made His disciples get into the boat and go before Him to the other side, while He sent the multitudes away. And when He had sent the multitudes away, He went up on the mountain by Himself to pray. Now when evening came, He was alone there. But the boat was now in the middle of the sea, tossed by the waves, for the wind was contrary. Now in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went to them, walking on the sea. And when the disciples saw Him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, “It is a ghost!” And they cried out for fear. But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, “Be of good cheer! It is I; do not be afraid.” And Peter answered Him and said, “Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water.” So He said, “Come.” And when Peter had come down out of the boat, he walked on the water to go to Jesus. But when he saw that the wind was boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink he cried out, saying, “Lord, save me!” And immediately Jesus stretched out His hand and caught him, and said to him, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?” And when they got into the boat, the wind ceased. Then those who were in the boat came and worshiped Him, saying, “Truly You are the Son of God.”
~ Matthew 14:22-33

Father, sometimes we ask for Your help to "walk on water", and then we doubt and lose faith when we notice the turmoil stirring around us. Maybe we ask you to meet our financial needs, but then the next moment we worry and wonder how we will pay the bills. Maybe we take a leap of faith to try to witness to a friend who does not know You, only to back down when we wonder if we will lose their friendship. Father, help me to trust You. And thank You, that when I find myself sinking in the midst of turmoil, I can cry out to You, "Lord, save me!", and You are there.