Broken until you reach the end of yourself

Have you ever been broken until you feel you reach the end of yourself? This is the time to reach out to God, who provides many rich promises of love, hope and strength in His word. Throughout the ages, millions have trusted in Him and not been disappointed. Perhaps this sounds like too simple a solution in this modern age of complication and sophistication, but I assure you, simplicity is the key to life. Jesus says, "Come to Me, all you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest". Matthew 11:28. Won't you trust Him today?

In hours of discouragement, God is our encouragement...

This is such a beautiful poem by Helen Steiner Rice and I have always loved those first two lines, though the whole poem is so powerful:

Sometimes we feel uncertain, 

and unsure of everything,

Afraid to make decisions, 

Dreading what the day will bring,

We keep wishing it were possible 

to dispel all fear and doubt,

and to understand more readily 

just what life is all about,

God has given us the answers 

which too often go unheeded,

but if we search His promises 

we’ll find everything we need

and seek, to lift our faltering spirits 

and renew our courage too,

for there is absolutely nothing too much 

for God to do,

For the Lord is our Salvation 

and our Strength 

in every fight we fight.

Our Redeemer, and Protector, 

our eternal Guiding Light,

He has promised to sustain us, 

He’s our Refuge from all harms,

and underneath this Refuge 

are His Everlasting Arms,

So cast your burdens on Him, 

seek His counsel when distressed,

and go to Him for comfort 

whenever you’re lonely and oppressed,

For God is our encouragement 

in trouble and in trials,

and in suffering and in sorrow 

He will turn our tears to smiles.

God's special phone number!

Today is Friday – I love Fridays, the doorway to the weekend and freedom! 

My daughter is writing a big exam today – 4 hours! She was feeling quite jittery and I realised an important thing: I had not been praying for her success. So I prayed, I asked God to help her in her exams. I think I forget to pray sometimes. And yet God Himself calls us to be better than that – He says that we do not have because we do not ask.  At the same time, He reassures us, saying “Call unto me, and I will show you great and mighty things, things you do not know” (Jeremiah 33:3). 

Some preachers refer to Jeremiah 33:3 as God’s phone number, that’s pretty cool in my books! Knowing that God is there – just a phone call away! 

Be blessed today!

Discouragement

"In hours of discouragement, God is our encouragement" - Helen Steiner Rice

“Come unto me all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” Matthew 11:28
Some days should not ever have taken place. That's how you feel. Bleak, discouraged, hopeless.
And yet our Lord says that we should bring all our worries and burdens to Him. He who calmed a storm, walked on water, slept while others were fretful and afraid, how can He not be able to take on and bear our troubles?
There is a saying that noone is hopeless whose hope is in God. Is it possible to live without hope? No, it is impossible. Without hope we are as capable of surviving as a fly that has fallen in the great blue sea. Without hope we are as lost as a dog in a desert. Without hope there is no life.
If you are feeling that the light at the end of the tunnel is growing dimmer, why don’t you put your trust in the Lord today? He is our firm foundation. There is no shadow of turning with Him. His word is eternal, trust in Him, hope in Him, believe in Him.
Dear friend, if we can not bring our troubles to the Lord, where can we stand? Indeed, how can we stand? This great God, to whom so many songs of praise have been penned, is still there for us. He promised us that He would be with us until the end of the age.
So if you are feeling sad and downtrodden today, why not kneel down and share your hurts with Him? This great Comforter, who has comforted so many souls through the ages, will surely comfort and touch your soul as you reach out to Him.


Deut. 33:27 The eternal God is thy refuge,
and underneath are the everlasting arms...

The Everlasting Arms

Are you sunk in depths of sorrow
Where no arm can reach so low;
There is One whose arms almighty
Reach beyond thy deepest woe.
God the Eternal is thy refuge,
Let Him still thy wild alarms;
Underneath thy deepest sorrow
Are the everlasting arms.

Other arms grow faint and weary,
These can never faint nor fail;
Others reach our mounts of blessing,
These our lowest, loneliest vale.
Oh, that all might know His friendship!
Oh, that all might see His charms!
Oh, that all might have beneath them
Jesus' everlasting arms.

Underneath us - oh, how easy!
We have not to mount on high,
But to sink into His fullness
And in trustful weakness lie;
And we find our humbling failures
Save us from the strength that harms;
We may fail, but underneath us
Are the everlasting arms.

Arms of Jesus, fold me closer
To Thy strong and loving breast,
Till my spirit on Thy bosom
Finds it's everlasting rest;
And when time's last sands are sinking,
Shield my heart from all alarms,
Softly whispering, "Underneath thee
Are the everlasting arms."

By A. B. Simpson