Lauren Daigle - Rescue (Official Music Video)

Our Perfect GPS is Still Perfect Today

Today, I found a post I wrote in August of 2012, and as I re-read it after all these years, I found it still relevant so I decided to re-poste it today.  It's kind of fun because it shows its age.  It also shows how behind my times I usually am when it comes to technology.  But I believe the main ideas are still as true today as they were over 7 years ago.  So, here it is.  I hope and pray it speaks to you.

It was dark and very late. Rain was threatening. We had 4 very tired children in the back of the car. We were stopped in a painfully slow-moving line of traffic after circling around the confusing streets of the outskirts of Pittsburgh. “I’m such a doubter!” My sister in law repeated several times as she rested her hands on the wheel. I listened not knowing what to say, much less what to do. Since my sense of direction functions only at a very, how shall I say it? “Primitive” level, I am the worst person to be stuck with when lost in a strange city.

“If I’d just trusted the GPS we could’ve been home a long time ago,” was her anguished realization once we finally found the correct highway after making several turns that were not indicated by the GPS.

Personally, I don’t have a GPS of any kind. I survive on directions scribbled on scrap paper and on my husband’s keen sense of location. But I’ve heard GPS tales from both sides. I’ve heard them from those who live by it and would not go anywhere without their trusted gadget, as well as from those who intensely dislike it or don’t even know what it is, let alone possess one.

Even though I don’t own one, I believe it is a useful device, which someday I might actually purchase,-particularly after our ordeal trying to navigate the highly un-maneuverable streets of Pittsburgh by disobeying the recommendations that the computerized voice of the GPS gently but firmly insisted upon-.

“I think our GPS fiasco is the perfect story for a sermon,” my sister in law said to me the next time I saw her. “It’s like when we just decide we know better than God and chose to go our own way, get lost, delayed and run around in circles until we decide to tune in back again and finally find our way,” she concluded. “Amen!” I thought to myself.

I think she is completely right. The only difference is that God never fails. For those who don’t trust the GPS I can tell you God is infinitively better! There is no comparison, really. There is no one so lost that Our Lord can not find, “recalculate” and put back on their way. The problem is, however, that not unlike our little adventure that night trying to get out of Pittsburgh; more often than not we don’t trust our perfect, built-in GPS. We think we know better. We take one look at the roads that the Lord lays out for us to follow, we find them too difficult, too scary or too challenging, and we decide we can find our way around them by following other roads that look simpler and nicer.

Sometimes the roads that He indicates for us are too lonely and we don’t want to walk alone, so we detour to the one “most travelled” because company makes us feel safer. Some other times the road is just too steep so we take the one that looks leveled because it seems easier. Yet, other times we take a different road than the one clearly set by our Lord just because we listened to the person next to us in our quest for a quick answer. All of the time, however, we discover that each an every instance we discard the triptik laid out by our Maker, we end up lost, delayed, frustrated and exhausted.

Lack of trust can really take us through some serious detours in life, we all know that. The important thing to remember is, however, that regardless of the many times we disregard our Lord’s directives, He is a Faithful Guide and unlike the automated GPS in our cars or phones, He loves us! His love is real and by His love He drives us back to Him. Even if sometimes we don’t even know enough to see His way; He sees us as we struggle to find our way in our life’s maze. He grabs hold of us and He puts us back on track if we recognize that He is, indeed Lord and Controller of our destiny.

We made it home safely that night. My two exhausted sons went straight to bed, for which I praised the Lord! I also praised God for my sister in law’s caring attitude for our well-being and her perseverance to find the right way in the midst of confusion. Above all, I praised God for who He is in our lives, the Leading Hand that always brings us back home unharmed,-our Perfect GPS!

Long gone are the summers when my Sister in Law and I used to take our kids to Kennywood together.  They are now all cool teenagers who get to go on their own with their Marching Bands and other groups.  My heart aches as I look back to those days when my sons' laughter had the song of childhood still singing in them...Much has changed now...I even have a phone with GPS in it!  I call her Lola, and Lola usually takes me where I need to go very efficiently.  There are some things, however, that will never change:  The Trustworthy Nature of Our Lord is one, and for that I am eternally grateful.  I choose to trust Him yesterday, today and for as long as I remain.  In the Precious Name of Christ.  Amen!

My Strength and My Portion

As I wrap up the day, exhausted by the crazy dance of a busy Monday, I look for encouraging verses that may bring a spark of energy to my tired soul, and this gem jumps at me out of the electronic pages containing the Word:  

My flesh and my heart may fail,

but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever. Psalm 73: 26

Lord knows that my flesh and my heart often fail.  All day long, I do, think and say things that reveal my sinful nature...but, God, in His infinite mercy offers Himself as my strength and my portion so I may depend on Him and let go of the illusion of my own self-reliance.  

He is my Strength: when I am weak, it is His power that moves me and carries me so I can finish the journey.  The tasks in front of me are insurmountable.  I don't have what it takes to even know where or how to begin to concoct a plan of attack.  It is He, and He alone who sustains me.  It is He who finishes what He began.

He is my Portion: when I am deprived, poor and displaced, He takes care of me.  He is the Great Provider.  In Him all my needs are met. Economic recessions, Great Depressions, national devastation mean nothing to the One who owns it all.  Even when all my efforts fail, I trust The One who calls me His Own.

After the stress of the day is left behind in the shadows, the cool evening breeze filters through the wide open window and I feel refreshed.  No matter what I go through, I can always lean on My Lord.  May I never forget it.  May we never be caught up on the stress and fear of our own inadequacy, for our job is to bring them to Christ and in our surrender, find His strength and provision. 

He is My Song!

I'm not musically gifted; but I can appreciate it.  In fact, I LOVE music!  I believe music is one of the most effective strategies that God uses to speak to me.  It is a language in itself, and it communicates at a deeper level than just mere words.  The transporting and transcending power of music surpasses barriers that otherwise would detain the flow of the message...Therefore, when I read a verse like Exodus 15: 2a I can't help but pausing and contemplating:

The LORD is my strength and my song; he has given me victory.  

Don't you just want to put like 10 exclamation marks at the end of this statement?  What a magnificent way to express the glory of God:  my strength and my song...how sweet is that?  The more I think about it, there isn't a sweeter thing to say to someone than: You are my song!  It's a picture that becomes a sound.  And sounds touch our soul in a way that sight doesn't achieve.  I always think of my Mom and Dad, for instance.  Gone long ago, I still have pictures of them that allow me to keep their faces alive in my memory; but a while ago, I listened to my Father's voice in a recording and I couldn't bear it.  I could look at a thousand pictures of him and not feel the depth of impact that hearing a few words had in my heart and soul.  We have no recording of my mother's voice so it's been almost 20 years since I last heard her...I couldn't imagine how shaken I'd be if I could hear the sound of her laughter again...

I digress, but think about it: calling someone "Your Song" inevitably and irrevocably means you love, or at least, really, really like that person.  There is no way we could call someone "My Song" and not be bursting with love inside.

My point is, songs imply gladness of the heart.  Like I read somewhere, the idea of a song denotes the glorification of the Lord on account of His liberation!  There is no highest expression of emotions than songs.  "I sing because I'm happy and I sing because I'm free" right? I am the sparrow, and I know He cares for me.

That's why today, I'm encouraged by this:  The Lord is My Song!  He is my Strength!  He is my Victory!

Every Bit of Creation Speaks His Word!

1 The heavens declare the glory of God; 

the skies proclaim the work of his hands. 

2 Day after day they pour forth speech; 

night after night they reveal knowledge. 

3 They have no speech, they use no words; 

no sound is heard from them. 

4 Yet their voice goes out into all the earth, 

their words to the ends of the world. Psalm 19: 1-4 

Have you ever heard the voice of God in nature? Has the whispering of the Holy Spirit ever caught your attention in the beauty of a sunset? Does a clear sky speak to you? How about the long shadows of a crisp fall afternoon, do they ever say anything to you? Does the rain bring a message to your ears as it showers the ground with its renewing powers? Does a gentle and refreshing breeze ever talks to you as you open the windows in a cool summer night? Does the roar of an ocean ever scream at you? What about a serene midnight snow fall…or the full moon in a dark night…do they ever tell you a story?

The heavens and the earth were made to proclaim the glory of God! Psalm 19 explains how wordless speech pours forth day in and day out from God’s creation. Do we ever hear it? Do we slow down long enough the frantic oscillation of our lives to listen to Our Father’s voice? I know I do not. But I also know I want to. I want to capture the voice that goes out into all the earth and make it my own! I want the words that reach the ends of the world to reach the deepest corners of my heart!

But how can I if I insist in staying inside? How can I catch the frequency of My Maker if I keep the receiver in a closet?

For as long as there is a moment, then, I’d like to take it and step outside into the presence of The Almighty, refreshed by His handiwork and enlightened by His Word! May we all be intentional about walking a bit slower through the frazzled roads of our busy lifestyles and take that moment to tune in to the glory declared by the heavens and the earth!

Do Not Worry About Your Life

Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life? Matthew 6: 27

Do you ever wonder why Jesus tucked this question in His Sermon on the Mountain in the middle of His teaching on how to live a life focused on eternity?  Well...He knows us!  He knows what it is to be a human.  He knows our frailty.  He knows our tendencies.  He knows our lack of trust.  He knows our little faith.  He knows the struggle between our desire to have control over our circumstances versus the reality of the fact that our destiny is totally and absolutely in God's Hands.

He knows the futility of worry and what's worst; the danger that it is for our relationship with Him as Our Lord.  

Worry is doubt.

I worry about my life.  Therefore, I doubt God is Good enough to take care of me.  

Sigh...

The good news is: worry does not need to consume me!  Worry doesn't have to distance me from Christ.  On the contrary, worry can be the very thing that leads me back into the safety of His arms!  

The thing is, worry is a tool of the enemy.  He uses it to shake our faith.  He infuses our days with worry because he knows that worry can very easily take away our focus from God to the object of worry.  However, If we allow a transformation of our mind so our thoughts switch perspective to have the clarity of the Holy Spirit to use worry to lead us closer to Jesus, the enemy is defeated!

And the enemy IS already defeated.  It's just that worry deceits us into fearing he is not.  But Jesus has already crushed his head so we can claim Christ's victory upon our lives...upon every aspect of our lives.

That's the encouragement Jesus' question brings to our hearts today: why do you worry, my child? Your life is in My Hands.  I am the Lord and King of who you are.  Trust me and quit falling for the enemy's schemes!  Look into my eyes.  You are more valuable than anything else in the world.  Take my hand and follow Me... one step at a time, and leave all your worry behind.

Dear Lord Jesus, teach us to seek You first and not give into worry and fear.  May the Holy Spirit guide us and may Your presence be evident to our weak senses so the Power of Your Strength can become the fuel that keeps us moving forward as we wait upon You, Our Lord and Deliverer! Amen!

Contrast

Isn't it amazing how leaves begin to turn in early fall in such a sneaky way?  I was driving to New Bedford this morning and it surprised me to see how some color is already painting the tops of many trees along the way.  The beautiful contrast of the oranges and yellows against the green jumps at you when the eyes wander off the road for a split second...

Gasp! Look at that!  Time has lapsed and a new season is here.  

I don't know why I'm thinking about this today...maybe it's the gorgeous way the sunlight is hitting the hills in front of our house.  Perhaps it's the soft cool breeze caressing my feet as it filters in through the wide open windows in this room.  Or maybe it's the constant ticking of the clock on the wall...reminding me of the relentless passing of time...not sure what, but something in the air is moving me toward a quiet contemplation of juxtapositions.  

I know...a fancy word that implies striking differences: the two sides of a shadow: the light and the darkness...  to close our eyes so we can see... to let go so we can gain... to die so we might live... to be wounded so we can be healed... 

He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed. 1 Peter 2: 24

When I read this verse...when I really read it, I can't help but thinking how such perfect contrast, such strikingly opposing concepts, such juxtaposition can only come from divine inspiration. Peter, no doubt, was writing by the Holy Spirit.  Hope brought up by death: the reality of He who has no sin to become sin in order that we may die to our sin and live to righteousness is overwhelming.  

The hope that His wounds heal me fills my heart with humble gratitude.  The thought that He loves me astonishes me...

The sun begins to set.  The hills are no longer stripped with light and darkness.  The breeze is cooler.  One last look out the window reveals a desire to be still.  

A whisper in my ears move me to recount my blessings:  Blessed is the One Who Died for me.  Blessed are His Wounds that heal.  Blessed is the One who thinks I'm worth it.  Blessed is the day He called me His own.