"When I was in distress, I sought the Lord."

"When I was in distress, I sought the Lord." Psalm 77:2

I also like this translation (the whole verse) from the New Living Translation: " When I was in deep trouble, I searched for the Lord. All night long I pray, with hands lifted toward heaven, pleading. There can be no joy for me until he acts." And this paraphrase from The Message: " I found myself in trouble and went looking for my Lord; my life was an open wound that wouldn't heal. When friends said, ' Everything will turn out all right,' I didn't believe a word they said."

All of us hit times in life when our world is shaken and the earth beneath our feet seems to turn to quicksand. We can feel pain, despair and emptiness. It is during this time that we can look at the promises of God. We can say to God "these are promises that You have made to me, promises that You will not break but You will keep. I am clinging to these promises and I am waiting for You to come through on this and reveal this to me."

When I was going through a particularly tough time, I would write down promises of God as I came across them and I would read and reread them many times. I would hold God to these promises in my prayers. Here are some of the verses I have in my collection:

"Those who hope in me will not be disappointed." Isaiah 49:23

"How can you say the LORD does not see your troubles? How can you say God refuses to hear your case? Have you never heard or understood? Don't you know that the LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of all the earth? He never grows faint or weary. No one can measure the depths of his understanding. He gives power to those who are tired and worn out; he offers strength to the weak. Even youths will become exhausted, and young men will give up. But those who wait on the LORD will find new strength. They will fly high on wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not faint." Isaiah 40:27-31

" Then Jesus said, "Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest." Matthew 11:28

" I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full. " John 10

" And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus. " Philippians 4:19

God promises that we will not be disappointed, that we will find new strength, that we can find rest and that we will have life to the full. Our part is to come, to hope and to wait. We don't know God's timing but we can be assured that He will keep these promises made to us.

And finally, let me leave you with this verse: "The LORD will fight for you; you need only to be still." Exodus 14:14

Be still, then may you fly like an eagle.

Here is a picture of God's love for us.

Here is a picture of God's love for us.

This is what God says "'Here am I, here am I.' All day long I have held out my hands to an obstinate people, who walk in ways not good, pursuing their own imaginations." (Isaiah 65:1b-2) I can't get over this image of God; waiting lovingly and patiently with his arms outstretched, waiting for people to turn to Him but being ignored.

The Message puts it so clearly: "I kept saying 'I'm here, I'm right here' to a nation that ignored me. I reached out day after day to a people who turned their backs on me, people who make wrong turns, who insist on doing things their own way." This passage is talking about Israel but doesn't this remind you of our world today?

It's a sad picture because we get busy, we do our own thing, we think we know how and why and what we should do. We're so busy we forget about God, have our backs to Him and we don't see Him. All the time He is standing and waiting for us to turn around.

Then, when we do... This is what He says: "Before they call, I will answer; while they are still speaking I will hear." (Isaiah 65:24) What an instant loving response; a God who is falling over Himself to respond to us. A God who waits patiently but then who can't wait any more - He answers before we call. A God eager to listen regardless of how long we haven't been listening to Him. A God who doesn't hold grudges.

Jesus said, "for your Father knows what you need before you ask Him". (Matthew 6:8) This is just what we have seen in Isaiah. A God who knows what we need because he sees everything. All He wants is for us to turn around and look to Him. We will not be disappointed.
Isn't this the kind of love we all long for? Someone showing and offering their love regardless - even when we ignore them. But when we notice and the love is reciprocated, no matter how feeble our love might seem, the love story is complete. Isn't this the kind of picture that Hollywood tries to make money out of!

Spend a few moments this week thinking about these verses:
The LORD is kind and merciful, slow to get angry, full of unfailing love.
The LORD is good to everyone. He showers compassion on all his creation.
The LORD is faithful in all he says; he is gracious in all he does.
The LORD helps the fallen and lifts up those bent beneath their loads.
All eyes look to you for help; you give them their food as they need it.
When you open your hand, you satisfy the hunger and thirst of every living thing.
The LORD is righteous in everything he does; he is filled with kindness.
The LORD is close to all who call on him, yes, to all who call on him sincerely.
He fulfills the desires of those who fear him; he hears their cries for help and rescues them. Psalm 145:8-9, 13-19 (NLT)

Dates to keep on your calendar:
"Letters To Lizzie" on December 16, 2004. Watch for details. Joy Bible Study and Women's Evening Bible Study (WEBS) end on December 7th and begins again on January 11th. Register for the second semester before or on January 11th. That day will be a review of the first half of the Gospel of John study - so you will be able to catch up. Mom To Mom ends for the Christmas holidays on December 1st and 2nd. Christmas in Lexington - tickets are NOW on sale. http://www.grace.org/events/