Are You A Water Walker?

"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 (NKJV)

Jesus made His disciples get into the boat.  Did you notice that? And while they were out on the sea Jesus was up on the Mountain praying to the Father. What do you suppose He was praying about? Do you think He was unaware of the circumstances the disciples were about to find themselves in? Of course not! He sent them ahead of Himself in that boat and knowing all things, He knew what they would encounter and He prayed.  We have an intercessor who stands before the Father praying for us. Isn't that a comfort? 

Not only did He know what they were going through but He let them go through it for awhile.  Think about that. A storm was brewing, they were in the will of God, He sent them there and yet He waited until the fourth watch of the night (just before dawn) before He stepped out onto the water.  Imagine for a second. They had been rowing against the waves fighting the wind all night, while Jesus prayed and just before dawn He steps into the storm! 

The disciples thought it was a ghost. But not Peter. He recognized His Lord in the midst of all that was transpiring around him and with eyes on Him shouted, "Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water.”  Jesus said "Come" as He calls for all of us when He beckon us to walk on water.  

Peter, momentarily, abandoned all for Jesus and stepped out of the boat and toward Jesus.  Peter was a water walker.  But all too quickly his eyes darted away from Jesus and onto the winds, his surrounding circumstances, and he began to sink. How often do we start out eyes on Jesus only to glance away at our circumstances? Or are you like the other disciples still too afraid to step out of the boat?  

Jesus immediately reached out His hand for Peter. You see, it's not the other way around. We can't save ourselves when we are sinking. 

But Jesus wants to grow our faith past just trusting in Him for saving faith.  He is always going to be there to save us.  “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?” Gently admonishing Peter and us. He wants us to learn to walk on water with Him. 

If we will keep our eyes on Jesus despite the storms, the surrounding circumstances, step out in faith and walk on water toward Him, He will lead us to the boat and stop the storms and when that happens all who witness will worship Him for they will see "Truly [He is] the Son of God.” 

"Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!" 

Psalms 46:10 (NKJV)

What is your name?

"And he arose that night and took his two wives, his two female servants, and his eleven sons, and crossed over the ford of Jabbok. He took them, sent them over the brook, and sent over what he had. Then Jacob was left alone; and a Man wrestled with him until the breaking of day. Now when He saw that He did not prevail against him, He touched the socket of his hip; and the socket of Jacob’s hip was out of joint as He wrestled with him. And He said, “Let Me go, for the day breaks.” But he said, “I will not let You go unless You bless me!” So He said to him, “What is your name?” He said, “Jacob.” And He said, “Your name shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel; for you have struggled with God and with men, and have prevailed.” Then Jacob asked, saying, “Tell me Your name, I pray.” And He said, “Why is it that you ask about My name?” And He blessed him there."
Genesis 32:22-29 (NKJV)

Do you know who you are? Do you know you the way the Almighty knows you? What does your name say about you?

Jacob was given his name meaning "heel grabber" when he grabbed his twin brother Esau's heel as he was born. The name also means supplanter or trickster and boy, did Jacob live up to his name! He spent much of his life using trickery to get ahead. But he was always running, afraid something or someone from his past would catch up with him. 

With God's help he admitted his fear and determined to make amends with his brother Esau for all the wrongs he had done him. But along the way God stepped in and had a one on one encounter with Jacob that changed him forever. Once he had decided to give everything over to The Lord and face what He had been running from an Angel of The Lord showed up and wrestled with Jacob. I think He was helping to him to finally see he was no longer the man he used to be, no longer Jacob the trickster. He was now Israel, blessed by God! He was to walk in this newness of life and not in his old ways. As a reminder, He left him with a limp.

We all have limps or scars from walking in our old way of life. But God has given us a new Name if we will use it and walk it in.

I refuse to settle for less than God's best. What about you? What does your name say about you? Are you walking in the power of your own name or His?

"Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father."
Philippians 2:9-11 (NKJV)

Count Your Blessings

Anxiety in the heart of man causes depression, But a good word makes it glad. 

Proverbs 12:25 (NKJV)

Jesus came to bring light into the darkness and that is exactly what He did for me on Christmas Eve.

I had been struggling with sadness and a debilitating depression all day. That day marked one month since my father's death and it was difficult for me to focus on the meaning of Christmas. All I could think of was that my father was not there to share it with me. I cried. I tried not to cry. I cried some more. I could not even wrap the remaining gifts that needed Christmas paper and ribbon so they could be placed under the tree.

I had to get out of my house where everything was reminding me of the Christmas I spent with my father the year before.

I spent the afternoon at my sister's house preparing for Christmas dinner at her house. It helped to occupy my mind a little but she knew I was having a tough day. Neither one of us were looking forward to celebrating this first holiday without dad.

That evening, on my way home, I realized I needed to get ready for the Christmas Eve Candle Light Service. In the car I began to pray/talk to God about needing help focusing on the reason for the season - Jesus - not my grief. I began to recount out loud why we celebrate Christmas... 

"Jesus was born so He could live His life on earth to die for my sins, He rose from the dead and is in Heaven where my father is with God and I don't need to be sad about that!"

Now, I have to preface what happened next with the fact that The Lord had been impressing upon me to count my blessings for three days and I had been. It started quite simply as little prayer thanking Him for the blessings of a friend and her daughters, but then He led me to read the Hymn "Count Your Blessings" which I had never done before. It really put things into perspective for me, so I had been trying to consciously count my blessings and thank The Lord when He brought to mind all the people in my life He has blessed me with...however, that day I was struggling and had not been able to. So, when I prayed and audibly recounted why I was going to the Candle Light Service I was choosing to break through the fog of depression and count the blessing of Christmas.

I didn't feel better immediately. In fact, nothing changed. I felt the same.

This small prayer gave me enough energy to focus on getting to church but the truth is the depression was so strong I struggled with the simple task of getting my hair and makeup done, so my daughter did it for me. I was determined not to miss the service no matter how heavy the weight of depression seemed.

I stepped into the sanctuary, then I began to feel overwhelmed.  All but the front row of seats taken - that was where I sat last year with dad. "It will be ok," I thought. Then I heard, "the front row is reserved for the pretty ladies." I looked and was greeted with a warm smile and a hug. I didn't feel as overwhelmed and realized God was in control so I took and deep breath and sat down.

A few minutes went by as I surveyed the manger scene, the cross, the candles and more people filtered in and took their seats. Then I heard a familiar voice directly behind me. I began to turn around and I felt a hand on my shoulder, "I've been thinking about you." In a sincere voice that only another who understands the loss of someone dear could express in that moment.

"It's been tough, I've had a hard day." I said. 

"Count your blessings!" Was the reply. And at that very moment Jesus showed up for me. I was witness to the true meaning of Christmas in that instant. Jesus came to shine His Light into my darkness as my earlier prayer was answered right there through my friend. God was reminding me I have choice to change my perspective and I had made that choice in the car earlier. While I didn't "see" it or "feel" different at the time, I continued to move forward in faith and in an instant during that conversation, in response to my faith, God lifted the grief and depression I had been feeling and gave me a blessing through my friend. 

"Count Your Blessings"
When upon life’s billows you are tempest-tossed,
When you are discouraged, thinking all is lost,
Count your many blessings, name them one by one,
And it will surprise you what the Lord hath done.
Refrain:
Count your blessings, name them one by one,
Count your blessings, see what God hath done!
Count your blessings, name them one by one,
*Count your many blessings, see what God hath done.
[*And it will surprise you what the Lord hath done.]

Are you ever burdened with a load of care?
Does the cross seem heavy you are called to bear?
Count your many blessings, every doubt will fly,
And you will keep singing as the days go by.
When you look at others with their lands and gold,
Think that Christ has promised you His wealth untold;
Count your many blessings—*money cannot buy [*wealth can never buy]
Your reward in heaven, nor your home on high.
So, amid the conflict whether great or small,
Do not be discouraged, God is over all;
Count your many blessings, angels will attend,
Help and comfort give you to your journey’s end.

(C) Johnson Oatman, Jr., pub.1897, public domain.

God's Best

"Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.
“Which of you, if your son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him! So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets."

Matthew 7:7-12

When you pray, do you trust for God's best? Do you pray for your will or His? He instructs us to ask Him for our necessities for He knows those things we need before we ask.

"For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own." Matthew 6:32-34

There is a Latin phrase, "In mediocriti triumphus Inceptamus secundi esse" which roughly translated is a sarcastic saying meaning, "Why strive for first when second best is good enough?" I have learned that the good is often the enemy of the best.

But it is His desire to '...give you the desires of your heart..." when you "Take [your] delight in the Lord..." Psalm 37:4  He will place the best things you can desire into your heart when you place Him there first.

Seek Him first, then trust He will give you the desires He has placed into your heart.


"Until now you have asked nothing in My name. Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full."

John 16:24

Walking Through Valleys

Psalm 23
"The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing.
He makes me lie down in green pastures,
he leads me beside quiet waters,
he refreshes my soul.
He guides me along the right paths
for his name’s sake.
Even though I walk
through the darkest valley,
I will fear no evil,
for you are with me;
your rod and your staff,
they comfort me.

You prepare a table before me
in the presence of my enemies.
You anoint my head with oil;
my cup overflows.
Surely your goodness and love will follow me
all the days of my life,
and I will dwell in the house of the Lord
forever."

Anticipating today to be a difficult one as we celebrate my father's life and legacy and take him to his final resting place, I also anticipate my Heavenly Father to be by my side every step of the day and if I should need Him to, He will catch every tear I shed. It is comforting to know that I do not have to walk this journey alone.  God is with me, just as He is with my Father.  This gives me a calm and peace that helps me and when others have asked, "I don't know how people get through this without God?" I am blessed to say I don't know the answer to that question but would want to tell others they don't have to be alone.  God is right there for them, catching their tears, too, carrying them through their dark nights and valleys, also.

"Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God." 2 Corinthians 1:3-4 

Into the Storm

"Now when He got into a boat, His disciples followed Him."
Matthew 8:23 (NKJV)

Have you ever found yourself in a boat in the middle of an ocean and wondered how you got there. Never mind that the boat in the middle of the ocean is being pelted with a raging storm.  Do you continue to scratch your head start asking "why" or maybe at this point start to panic? I don't think any of this is uncommon to the human experience.  However, I have learned a few things in my times at sea; and yes I meant 'times' to be plural for a reason. I think we all go through seasons with the Lord where He leads us into a boat and if we are followers of Him we climb on in, no matter how new in Christ we are.  What happens next is where the difference comes in for me from my earlier walk with Christ and some of my previous storms and this one.  

"And suddenly a great tempest arose on the sea, so that the boat was covered with the waves. But He was asleep." (Matthew 8:24).  The storm arose, we are not promised that one will not, but the previous verse shows that Jesus got into the boat first. So, but can rest in the knowledge that when the storm comes we will not be alone.  But here is the key difference that I want to point out that made all the difference in my storm this time, "But He was asleep." I think in much of my early walk with Christ He was asleep in me.  I knew He was supposed to be alive in me but I didn't always live like it.  This time, I am referring to the storm of my father's cancer and subsequent death, I knew Christ was alive in me and it made all the difference.

Instead of my plea to the Lord being like that of the disciples, "Then His disciples came to Him and awoke Him, saying, 'Lord, save us! We are perishing!'"(Matthew 8:25), I was able to come to the Lord with another kind of prayer. "Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:6-7).

I have to be honest, the Lord took me to a new level through this time and showed me a new fear and anxiety that resided deep within that I did not realize was there. "O Lord, You have searched me and known me." (Psalm 139:1).  He searched my heart just liked the disciples. "But He said to them, “Why are you fearful, O you of little faith?” Then He arose and rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great calm." (Matthew 8:26).  And when He had given me the answer to my fear and anxiety, He gave me victory and peace over it.

When the disciples witnessed Jesus calming the wind and sea they were astonished.  "So the men marveled, saying, 'Who can this be, that even the winds and the sea obey Him?'" (Matthew 8:27).  

Like the disciples, I am amazed and awe-struck at the awesomeness of my God every time He calms a storm in my life. Not because I wonder who He is, but because I know who He is.

"Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!"
Psalm 46:10 (NKJV)

 

Thought Garden

"Plant a seed within your mind, 

And rear the tender thought. 

Cultivating it to grow,

And reap a bountiful crop."
 ~ Deanna Bonn

It all started as an idea, a thought.  That thought needed to be cultivated, it needed to be tended. It needed nourishment and it even needed to be pruned.  But that thought came to life and became a life sustaining organization.  We all hope the thoughts we plant and grow are life giving and life sustaining.
Just as the organization that is near to my heart chooses to not only help but to "hope" the starving by teaching them how to plant and grow life giving food for themselves.

Numana Inc., based in El Dorado, KS, is a non-profit 501(c)(3) public charity formed in August 2008, as an international hunger relief organization. Their first food-packaging event was held in El Dorado, KS in December of 2009. Since then they have packaged over 27 million meals from coast to coast with the help of over 170,000 volunteers. To date, Numana events have benefited children and families in The United States of America, Haiti, Vietnam, El Salvador, Honduras, Columbia, South Africa, Rwanda and Liberia. And this is just the beginning.

They have also started to hope the community of El Dorado with Numana Gardens, which is a community program in place to give people an opportunity to volunteer and serve the hungry in their immediate area.  From the El Dorado Numana Garden they have been able to serve: 

Prospect School - Hundreds of starter plants were raised by Prospect students and purchased for planting at Numana Gardens

Kids Need to Eat Program – 60 children receive lunch through the summer at Skelly school on a daily basis.
El Dorado Salvation Army - Serving 35 families in El Dorado per week.
Senior Center - Boxes of fresh produce dropped off weekly for members enjoyment
Towanda Food Pantry (Moms In Prayer) – Serving 15 families per week in the Towanda community.
Volunteers - Through partnerships with BCC, churches, K-State Extension office, and others; Numana provides educational and volunteer opportunities at the garden.

Numana is in the process of "planting" other community gardens around the world to hope the people in other impoverished situations.   

"Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruit."
Proverbs 18:21