Many churches today have adopted the more contemporary music.  Songs of praise and worship can be inspiring and uplifting.  However there is just something about the classic hymns that draw us back to our roots and bring us comfort.  Songs like Amazing Grace, Leaning On The Everlasting Arms, How Great Thou Art, and Old Rugged Cross are full of message and meaning that transcends the generations.  My Mother was stricken with Alzheimer’s and in the later days of her life could barely remember who I was; but she never forgot the words to those wonderful old hymns.  As we would stand side by side in church, her sweet mellow voice sang confidently and strong, and one could almost forget the reality of her disease.  As she sang, her mind was with Jesus, and was, at least in that moment, strong and whole. 

Recently, I woke up in the middle of the night with a worried mind.  As I lay there tossing and turning,   I began to think about what a blessing it is to have friends to listen when you have problems.  I have some dear and wonderful friends, but no matter how great they are or how loveable I am, they probably would not appreciate a phone call at 2:00 am.  And then, there in the darkness I heard Mother’s sweet voice: “What a friend we have in Jesus, all our sins and grief’s to bear, what a privilege to carry, everything to God in prayer.”  It was such a comfort to be reminded that I do have a friend I could call on in those lonely hours.  That the One who neither slumbers or sleeps is only a whisper away.  I have heard the words from the song “what a friend” most of my life.  However that’s pretty much all they were – words.  As I have grown in my walk with God, I have become more and more aware of the truth of these words.  Jesus is not just some character in a book we learned about in Sunday school.  He is not just some historical figure who walked on this earth and then died some 2,000 years ago.  He lives.  He is as alive today as He was then.  When you know Him, you can feel His presence and hear His voice. 

Do you need a friend today? Are you carrying a heavy burden?  Take it to Jesus. 

“Are we weak and heavy laden, cumbered with a load of care?  Precious Savior, still our refuge; take it to the Lord in prayer”. 

Listen, you will hear Him calling you –“If you are tired from carrying heavy burdens, come to me and I will give you rest”.  (Matthew 11:28).  He not only does not mind when you come to Him, He invites you to, He wants you to come. 

 Need a hug?  He’s waiting for you.  Any time day or night, His arms open wide. 

“In his arms he’ll take and shield thee; thou wilt find a solace there”.  

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort (2 Corinthians 1:3).  Jesus is there for you.  He will wrap you in His loving arms where you will find comfort, peace, and assurance.

Just want someone to talk to?  Whether you need to talk about something as trivial as a lost item or as serious as a lost loved one, Jesus listens.

“Can we find a friend so faithful who will all our sorrows share? “

He’s never too busy or preoccupied with other things.  When you talk to Jesus, He gives you His undivided attention.  Peter sums it up perfectly in 1 Peter 5:7 “God cares for you, so turn all your worries over to him”.  (CEV) 

Do you feel as if you are all alone?  Even if everyone else turns away, Jesus will not.

“Do thy friends despise, forsake thee? “ 

You see, He knows what it means to be abandoned, He’s been there.  And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” that is, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”  (Matthew 27:46).  When someone has walked in your shoes, they share in your pain, they understand it.  Jesus understands.

We are blessed to have our friends for they truly are a gift from God.  It is a comfort to know we can pick up the phone and hear the voice of someone we can talk to on the other end.  However, there are times when even our closest and dearest friend can’t be there for us.  There are times when no matter how much she wants to, she just doesn’t understand.  And, there are the middle of the night times, when it’s just you and the silence.  You need to hear another voice but there is no one you can call.  Now you know – there is someone.  His name is Jesus and He’s waiting to hear from you.

And after he had dismissed the crowds, he went up on the mountain by himself to pray. Mat 14:23a  

The practice of Quiet Time seems to be a struggle for many of us.  Some women have told me that they aren’t sure what to do with their QT but more often they say that there simply isn’t any time to be had.  It’s true that in our very busy lives it can seem impossible to find time to “steal away” and be alone with God.

Please consider: the busier you are, the more you need quiet time. Even if you’re only able to spend a little time each day, use it – some is better than none. Think of it as an investment in your spiritual health.

There’s no “magic formula” for a rewarding Quiet Time,  we all work differently.   There are however some practices that can help us make the most of whatever time we have.

• Make your QT a priority. Remember, we’re talking about your spiritual fitness. Your quiet time should be a “must do” not merely a “want to do”.
• Set aside a specific time. Think of your quiet time as an appointment with God.
• Have a special place. Find a place where you will be comfortable and least likely to be disturbed.
• Have your materials handy. You will definitely need your bible; your QT should always include a scripture reading and prayer. If you have the time consider adding a devotional reading, starting a journal, or working on a bible study.
• Don’t multi-task. I’ve had women tell me they have their quiet time while they’re doing other things such as cooking, laundry, showering. Doing chores can certainly be a great time to talk to God but remember, we’re looking for a time to listen to God, to allow His Spirit to speak to our spirit.

“Be still and know that I am God” Psalms 46:10

Above all, turn off your cell phone. We have come to think that the world will come to an end if we ignore a call or don’t instantly respond to a text message – it won’t.

One last comment, don’t get discouraged. Things may not go just right at first. You may need to try different times, locations, or practices before you find what works best for you. That’s OK. Once you begin to experience the peace and spiritual renewal that comes from your daily retreat, believe me, you going wonder how you ever got by without it.

The following is a repost from September 2018 with some minor edits. I hope you enjoy.

There was quite a bit of excitement in the Smith house last night. Somewhere around 8:00 PM our animals began going crazy (more so than usual). Nala the cat was sitting by the dinning room window staring. Maggie our Lharkie was walking around the house with her tail down in what is normally her “storm panic” mode. And Bethoven, our Shih Tzu, well he was just being Tovey, we never know what he’s thinking! I was in the kitchen and as I looked up I saw a dark blob of something on the dinning room blind. At first glance I thought it was a giant moth. (Let me pause here to tell you that hubby and I had just finished watching a Stephen King movie). Anyway, I turned the light on and realized it was not a moth but what I then thought was a bat! At this point, I’m with Maggie, its time to panic! Time to call in the troops – that would be my husband Avon. Our conversation went something like this:

Me:  (calmly) “Honey, would you come here a minute?”

Him:  “Why, what do you need?”

Me: (not so calmly) “Please, just come here!”

He came into the kitchen and I showed him the creature that has invaded our home. He, being the brave one in our family, went in for a closer look. I continue to panic and I insist that he put on some gloves (I’m remembering the man who was bitten by a rat in the Stephen King movie). It turns out it is not a bat or even a moth, it is a bird which has somehow found it’s way into our dinning room. So now, what are we going to do? We don’t want to hurt the thing, we just want it out. We don’t have a net we can use to catch it but we can’t just let it stay. We open the door, expecting the thing will just fly away – but no, doesn’t work that way. Not to worry, my ever resourceful hubby has a plan. He goes into his garage and comes back with an aluminum rod of some kind with a Wally-world bag tied to the end; we’re going to catch and release this poor bird.

The chase begins. We sneak up on the bird with the bag, he flies to the living room; cat chases. Again, hubby approaches with the bag-on-a-pole in hand; the bird flies, right past the open door and back to the dining room. This time he perches on the light fixture, surely we can capture him there. Not. Back and forth – dinning room to living room, living room to kitchen, kitchen to …. you get the picture.

Nala the cat is getting more and more excited. Maggie the Lharkie is getting more and more panicked. Bethoven, he’s still just being Tovey, seemingly oblivious to it all. And me? This chase has been going on for well over thirty minutes so I’m getting concerned that either my husband, or that poor bird, or both, are going to fall out and then what will I do? And so I prayed. “Lord, Your word tells us that your eye is on the sparrow. Please get this little sparrow out of my house”. And then, just like that, it happened. That little bird made one more round and then straight out the open door.

Was it my prayer that made him leave? All I can say is this. I don’t believe in coincidence. I do believe in God. I do believe in prayer. I do believe in God’s word. So, why shouldn’t I believe He answered my prayer? The little birds feathers were all ruffled and I’m sure he was exhausted and afraid. As he flew away I whispered another prayer “Lord, take care of your creature, he’s been through so much.” I believe the Lord heard that prayer as well.

I joyfully leave you with this: Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground outside your Father’s care. And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. So don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows. (Matthew 10:29-31)

Postscript: At the time, the whole situation seemed quite serious but in hindsight, as I replay it all in my mind, it was really very comical. Those heavy work gloves. That plastic bag on the end of a pole. Two old folks running around the house from room to room chasing a bird. My greatest regret is that I didn’t think to get it all on video!

So teach us to number our days, That we may present to You a heart of wisdom. (Psalms 90:12)

In 1972 Jim Croce (one of my favorites) wrote the song “Time In A Bottle”. It was a beautiful ode to his wife upon his learning of her pregnancy. The song talks about saving and cherishing every moment of life and concludes with “But there never seems to be enough time to do the things you want to do, once you find them”.

Time. A most precious commodity. No man can buy it. No government can control it. No force can stop it. We can’t reverse it, store it up, or give it away. All we can do with time is make the most of what is given to us.

Most everywhere I go, at least in Christian circles, the conversation turns to whether we are seeing the signs of THE last days; many feel we are. If we are, if the day of the Lord is near, should we not then be asking ourselves – “What should I be doing with my time? Am I making the most of every moment? Should the Lord come today, would He find me with a full lantern and a trimmed wick?”

A Prayer of Moses, the man of God. Lord, you have been our dwelling place in all generations. (Psalms 90:1)

There is so much chaos in the world today. I admit that there are times I would like to “steal away” to some otherworld, to escape the noise of life. Well, there is no otherworld, but there is a place.

“Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and YOU WILL FIND REST FOR YOUR SOULS.” (Matthew 11:28-29)

What peace to know that the Lord is our resting place – today, tomorrow, and always. With Jesus we have a place of rest for our weary soul. He is our Shelter, a place where we can rest in safety from the evil that surrounds us. He is our Light, a place to come when we’re confused and need truth. He is our Comforter, a dwelling place where we will find comfort for our body and our spirit.

“Thank You Jesus that in this day of uncertainty You have provided for us an escape from the things of this world – a dwelling place, a resting place. May we turn to You to find rest for our souls.”

With his feathers he will cover you, under his wings you will find safety. His truth is your shield and armor. (Psalms 91:4 ISV)

Some of you out there are hurting. You’ve got that deep, inconsolable, gut tearing pain. You’re wondering if the pain will ever go away. You are desperate for answers. See what the Lord says.

He tells us: “My word is truth”. From Genesis to Revelation, every book of the Bible holds a promise. It is the promise of Messiah, the One Who delivered mankind from the penalty of sin and will one day deliver those of us who follow Him from all our sorrows. This is the Good News and it is the Truth that sets us free! We don’t think about it much but there are some things God can’t do, one being God cannot lie. Paul writes “For all the promises of God in Him (Christ) are Yes, and in Him Amen, to the glory of God through us: (2 Corinthians 1:20 NKJV). If He says it, you can believe it, it is truth.

He tells us: “I’ve got you covered”. He spreads His wings and makes a place for you to hide. In the night, in the storm, in the deepest darkest place, He is there with you. I’m reminded here of Jesus’ words, “…How often would I have gathered your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing”! (Luke 13:34). What a beautiful picture of Jesus’ protective love.

He tells us: “I am waiting”. You’ve been given the ultimate invitation, please don’t ignore or reject it. “Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me. (Revelation 3:20)

He tells us: “I will protect you”. The enemy may surround you but under His wings, you are safe. Christ is a strong tower, a mighty fortress, a wall that cannot be breached. Our Lord is always standing guard. “The name of the LORD is a strong tower; the righteous man runs into it and is safe”. (Proverbs 18:10)

He tells us: “I will keep watch over you”. His eyes are ever upon His children and there is nothing that can come against you that escapes His careful watch or that is beyond His control. “Behold, he who keeps Israel will neither slumber nor sleep”. (Psalm 121:5)

He doesn’t tell us: “you won’t have troubles”. This is the part where many of us get tripped up. We’ve been deceived into believing that being a Christian means we will live a happy-go-lucky life, that we’re just going to march into glory without a single care along the way. That my dear sisters is Satan’s lie, one he uses to disarm us, to throw us off our feet when the struggles come. To the contrary, Jesus prepares us with the warning – “In the world you will have trouble”. But look, with the warning, He gives us a promise: “I have told you this so that through me you may have peace” and an encouragement “but be courageous–I have overcome the world!” (John 16:33).

In the end, when all your efforts have failed, listen to the counsel of the Psalmist. Go to Jesus and let Him hide you in the shelter of His wings.

When I thought, “My foot slips,” your steadfast love, O LORD, held me up. When the cares of my heart are many, your consolations cheer my soul. (Psalms 94:18-19)

We have all had that one “most embarrassing moment”. As for myself, I’ve have had several in my lifetime. There is one in particular that came to mind as I read this passage. I was at work, sleet had just started to fall and I walked outside, (for what reason I can’t recall). No problem. The problem came when I tried to go back into the building. The walkway was slightly inclined and during the minutes since I had gone outside, unknown to me, it had become a sheet of ice. As I stepped on the walk, my arms and legs went in many directions and I found myself laid out flat! Well, the harder I tried to get up, the more I slipped. I even tried crawling but that was no good either. Finally, with great humility, I called out for help, but no one came. I don’t know to this day if my co-workers didn’t hear me or if they were just enjoying the show too much to see it end (I suspect it was the later as I can only imagine the sight). After much effort, I managed to maneuver myself to the grassy area next to the walkway, stretch or crawl (again my remembrance is a little cloudy) and finally get to the covered stoop and back inside the building. Neither myself nor my co-workers ever mentioned the event – thankfully.

Ever feel like you’re on slippery ground? We’re all vulnerable. Just like that icy walk, slippery times can come upon us quickly and seemingly without warning. We hit the ice and flail about trying to regain our footing knowing that a fall is about to come and knowing that we are completely unable to prevent it. But God is able.

God will hold you up.  You don’t have to hit the ground hard, and you don’t have to wait upon the mercy of others; you can count on the mercy of GOD!

God will cheer you up. I just love this part, its something I’ve never thought about. When it gets too hard, not only does God hold you up, He cheers you up!!!! He reminds you of His goodness, His grace and His mercy. In those hours of sleepless nights, you can lean on His promises. You can be assured, in the deepest recesses of your heart, that God is faithful to His word. In every situation, you can turn to Him and He will console you. If you believe these words, tell the LORD, and give Him a praise offering. He is worthy.

Simon Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life, (John 6:68)

I’m so glad the Lord left us this word, it comes to my mind so often and gives me peace. Sometimes life gets hard and we just want to run away. But where could we go? In the passages preceding the one above, we read that some of Jesus’ followers left because the way was too hard.

Some of us feel that way from time to time. We, like the Hebrew children, think it would be easier to go back to Egypt. It wouldn’t. We think that way because we have faulty memory’s. We forget that we were slaves, we worked hard and gained nothing, the master we served was cruel. But not Jesus. He is loving and kind, gentle and meek. He gives to His children generously.

When the way gets hard, ask yourself, “to whom shall I go?” Once you’ve asked that question, go ahead and run; but not away – run to the ONLY One with the words of eternal life, run to Jesus.

“No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it. (1 Corinthians 10:13)

I’ve known people who, when they go into an unfamiliar building, the first thing they do is locate the EXIT signs. They want to make sure, if something goes wrong, they know the way out. As the world seems to become more and more dangerous, I find myself, to some extent, doing the same sort of thing. I’ve become more cautious, more aware of my surroundings, more prone to look for the EXIT sign. Remember the fire drills in school? The alarm would sound and we had to stop whatever we were doing then quietly, calmly (in single file) go outside. Most businesses today have an established “evacuation plan”, a pre-determined route for getting out of the building.

Hopefully, you or I will never be in a life-threatening situation, but just in case, it is good to “have a plan”. There is a danger that every one of us faces daily; it is the danger of temptation. And, just as there is an escape route in the movie theater, the bank, the mall, or your office, we assured of a way to escape temptation, one which God will provide.

Think about the temptations that threaten your spiritual wellbeing.  Maybe you’re prone to overeating, gossip, complaining; you know the temptations that you most struggle with, your danger zone.  Now, what is your Exit Strategy?  Don’t wait until you’re in the middle of a situation and in panic mode.  Make your plan now, while your mind is clear. These are some things that help me:

• Search Scripture.  Look to God’s word for strength concerning your particular struggle.  I find a lot of help in the Psalms.
• Pray, Pray, Pray.  Pray about it.  Pray through it.  Pray after it passes -prayer of praise. (This is where that scripture can really help – pray it).
• Write It Down.  In a secure place, write down the temptations you seem to constantly struggle with along with the scripture you’ve identified. Post It notes work great.  You can keep them in your bible on the page with your scirpture.
• Accountability Partner.  Ask someone you trust to keep you accountable.  Go to them as soon as the alarm sounds, before the temptation becomes a sin.

Above all, don’t get discouraged. I belive that there are few things that please the devil more than to see God’s children get discouraged because that’s when we’re most vulnerable. Keep reminding yourself, you are a work in progress and what the Lord begins, He is faithful to complete.

Don’t worry about anything, but pray about everything. With thankful hearts offer up your prayers and requests to God. Then, because you belong to Christ Jesus, God will bless you with peace that no one can completely understand. And this peace will control the way you think and feel. (Philippians 4:6-7)

In just two fairly short verses of Philippians 4, Paul gives us three steps to peace beyond understanding. With all the turmoil going on in our nation and around the world, I thought this might be a good time to see what he has to say.

Step 1 Don’t worry about anything, but pray about everything. With these words, Paul makes it sound so easy doesn’t he? I sometimes feel as if I was born to worry. I know I’m not the only one who struggles with this, I’ve heard from too many of you not to know that you probably worry as much as I do. Of course, we don’t call it worry, we call it “concern” or maybe “a prayer need”. And so we pray.

Step 2 With thankful hearts offer up your prayers and requests to God. What does it mean to have a thankful heart? Our hearts are to be thankful for a God we know to be faithful. The God Who has heard and answered our prayers in the past, so that we have no reason to doubt that He will hear and answer again. Our heart is thankful for what God has done and what we know He is going to do. A thankful heart is the fruit of faith.

Step 3 Then, because you belong to Christ Jesus, God will bless you with peace that no one can completely understand. And this peace will control the way you think and feel. This is the sticking point for many of us. We’ve done steps one and two but we just aren’t getting step three. Where’s the peace? Peter has a word for us concerning peace in 1 Peter 5:7

casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you (1 Peter 5:7 ESV)

To cast means to throw, to place upon. Peter is telling us that because God loves us, He wants us to throw, to put all our burdens on Him. Think about it this way; in a baseball game, when the pitcher throws the ball, the minute it’s released it is no longer under his control, it comes into the hands and under the control of the catcher. There are times though when a pitcher goes through the motions of throwing the ball but, for whatever reason, he doesn’t let go of it – this is called a balk. A balk is an illegal play that usually results in the ball being declared dead. If you’re not getting the peace promised in Philippians 4:7, ask yourself – am I throwing or balking?

I’ve illustrated what a balk is, let’s look at what it means to “throw”:

• It means hands up – surrender it to Christ.
• It means knees bent – pray without ceasing.
• It means watch and wait – expect God to act.

In all of my 70+ years, I don’t know that I’ve ever met anyone, Christian or otherwise, who would say they wouldn’t like more peace in their life. It’s too bad, because if you are a child of God, and if you will replace self-sufficiency with Christ’s sufficiency, it really is as easy as 1-2-3.

* Except where noted, all scripture is from the CEV bible.