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Family Relationships

Showing Our Siblings Love (April Challenge)

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by Beth Thompson

“Be kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love;
in honour preferring one another.”
{Romans 12:10}

What precious gifts the LORD has given us in our siblings! I thank GOD daily for these family friendships that He has blessed me with; relationships that are used as teaching tools by the LORD to grow and mature me into the woman that He desires me to be.

I am often reminded of how fleeting these years with our siblings are, and how important it is to be making the most of each moment that the LORD gives us as older sisters. What memories do I desire to have when I look back at this season as a daughter and sister at home? Memories of being too busy with my list and schedule to play music duets with my brother? Or that I took the time to step out of the whirlwind of the things that need to be done, and into the world of a child? I want to remember laughing, playing, and rejoicing with my siblings.

What are some practical ways that we can invest in our brothers and sisters? Our siblings need to know that we love them, not just “in word, neither in tongue, but in deed and in truth.” (1 John 3:18) The verbal “I love you,” before bed each night is not enough. Our brothers and sisters must know that we enjoy being with them, and that we delight in being their older sisters.

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We must include them in our lives, even when it is sometimes more work to make bread with my little sisters than simply to do it by myself. The shining faces over the supper table, when two delighted little girls declare, “We helped bake this bread,” more than make up for the extra time and effort it took to include them in the task.

Some other ways we can love our siblings are:

  • Giving them lots of hugs.
  • Greet them with smiles.
  • Ask them to spend time with you, instead of the other way around. Younger siblings are usually the ones to ask the older sister (or brother) for some attention. Would it not bless them if their sister came to invite them to join her on a walk, take part in a science experiment, or have a mini tea party?
  • Spend time talking with them and listen to what they share with you; what they tell you is meaningful to them.
  • Look for ways to make their day special. A sweet note or a cup of tea can brighten anyone’s day!
  • Be quick to praise them, and slow to criticize or grow frustrated.
  • Pray with them and for them. This is incredibly strengthening in our friendships, and faith building to see the LORD answer pray so faithfully.

That is truly what we desire most in our sibling relationships: to seek the LORD together. ♥

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This month, KBR is hosting an “Encourage Your Siblings Challenge.” Throughout April, we are posting one article each week by big sisters, who will share encouragement and ideas for how to bless the younger siblings in our lives. We would love to hear your ideas as well – feel free to comment.

Feel free to tell your friends about this challenge and encourage them to join you as you “Encourage Your Siblings”!

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  Siblings Challenge April 2014

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Family Relationships

Siblings: Best Friends Forever (April)

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7-4-13 9

by Sarah L. Bryant

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This month, KBR is hosting an “Encourage Your Siblings Challenge.” Throughout April, we are posting one article each week by big sisters, who will share encouragement and ideas for how to bless the younger siblings in our lives. We would love to hear your ideas as well – feel free to comment.

Feel free to tell your friends about this challenge and encourage them to join you as you “Encourage Your Siblings”!

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  Siblings Challenge April 2014

 “A friend loveth at all times, and a brother is born for adversity.”
{Proverbs 17:17}

Dear Genevieve,

Greetings to you on this lovely spring afternoon! I am enjoying the breezy spring  weather on our front porch, as I reply to your thoughtful letter. It is always a blessing to hear what the Lord is teaching you. I am so happy to hear what you shared about your relationship with your siblings and yes, even the struggles that you’ve faced. Even these difficulties have been put in our lives, as opportunities to show patience and love to our siblings. You sounded a bit discouraged about the struggles you’ve faced lately as an big sister, but I want to encourage you that having strong relationships with your siblings is so worth the effort.

Honestly, the Lord has been working in my own life about my sibling relationships, too. You might think that when you get older, you won’t struggle with something as “simple” as this — I certainly thought that when I was fourteen! Let me tell you, that at age 22, I still face the daily choice of whether I will diligently cultivate these relationships God has placed in my life. Whether I will continue to build these relationships that God has given me into strong friendships that will last throughout the difficulties and seasons of our futures. Whether I will forgive wrongs…be patient with shortcomings…and admit my own sins before them.

You see, we never reach a place in any relationship where there are no more struggles to overcome. Relationships require constant work and humility. We will have to work at every relationship we have throughout our entire lifetime, whether it is with our siblings, parents, spouse, children, friends, or church, because we are dealing with sinners—and we are sinners ourselves! The sin that remains in us causes friction, disagreements, and failures; and of course, God uses this in our sibling relationships to refine us. This is a training ground for bigger things ahead that we will face. Realizing that these struggles are actually opportunities to “be Christ” to others, is a big key to building lasting, Christ-honoring relationships. As Christians, these very difficulties give us a beautiful chance to forgive, show grace, and walk in love as Christ has called us.

“Walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us,
and hath given himself for us an offering and
a sacrifice to God for a sweetsmelling savour.”
{Ephesians 5:2}

It is encouraging to know that relationship struggles actually sanctify us. Also, as I realize that these things are not caused by my circumstances, but rather spring from my (and other’s) own sinful heart, I know then that I will face these struggles wherever I go in life. This challenges me to face them head-on, instead of dodging the uncomfortableness. If I thought, “Well, it’s just MY siblings. If they were not so annoying, I would actually be really patient!” or “I don’t have to really work on being a more loving sister, because I am sure it will be easy to love my own children and I won’t struggle with this as a mom,” or “No need to try to learn to communicate better with my brother—I won’t have this problem with my own husband. It’ll always come natural to talk with him about everything — so why try so hard with my brothers?” — then it would be easy to just try to “get along” in my relationships now and put off the struggles. However, if we as daughters put off areas of weakness that the Lord is trying to point out to us through our family relationships, rest assured that we will face the exact same struggles as wives and mothers. We need to be diligent to strive toward the mark Christ has called us to—today!

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You shared that you are not sure how to be better friends with your little sisters since they have different interests than you. This is not unusual; most siblings do have different interests, talents, and personalities, but it is not an excuse to “not have a good relationship.” This diversity actually adds to the beauty of the family unit. If we learn to work alongside our brothers and sisters in their unique interests and gifts, we as a group can actually accomplish much more for the Kingdom of God than we could individually, because when we work together with love and patience, these gifts can bless many (and show the world how God-honoring siblings can work together). We can lay aside our pride, as the older sister, and recognize our siblings’ strengths and knowledge, and learn from them and work together.

While you do have differences in your siblings, remember all that you have in common!  You have the same parents, upbringing, life experiences, similar tastes, environment—and you are united by common blood. My siblings will always be closer to each other in this sense, than we will be to any other human on earth. What a blessing! So, you might think that your brother or sister is so different from you, that you can’t be best friends—but that simply is not true. God has given much room for diversity among siblings, and this is a blessing—not something that should cause us to drift apart. It sharpens us because we learn to deal with the different personalities and characteristics in one another.

My sister and I are seven years apart, and have very different interests and personalities, but we are closely bound and are truly best friends. It has not always been that way—if you are struggling in your relationship with your sister right now, do not feel like it is a hopeless vision for you. In fact, several years ago, I thought it would never be true for my sister and I; our differences, age gap, and misunderstandings seemed to hinder a close relationship. However, the Lord has worked in our lives as we have sought Him, and bound us through kindred fellowship, because we both love the Lord and His Word. Christ must be at the root of a lasting friendship, and I praise the Lord that this is so in our relationship. This is the bond that is stronger than any conflicts or differences we might have. As we have grown, we have developed a strong friendship and interest in one another’s interests; we love to talk and work together.

Like any relationship, a sister relationship requires sacrifice—and we must initiate it (not wait for the other party to do it). If your little sister loves to play with dolls and you would rather cross stitch, you need to sacrifice your own pleasure to spend some special time with her. Being willing to lay aside our time to be together and talk—even if we have something we think we “need to do”—goes a long way in building a friendship with our siblings. I struggle with this and have been trying to remember that someone in my life is more important than that something that I need to do. My siblings have souls that need to be watered with love (read Luke 10:40-42). A few extra minutes spent with my sibling will not cost much, but can mean a world to them. Show interest in them and make an effort to have a fun time together. Maybe you could suggest a special afternoon tea party with your little sisters, and ask them to help you make some scones and tea, decorate together, dress up in matching outfits…having fun talking and laughing together as you do so. Make it a special and fun time for them. It will only take you a few hours but will light up their whole week.

Rachael and Sarah

Although sibling relationships can require work and sacrifice, it can also be fun—we just need to be creative about ways to spend time together and show love. Little hearts are eager to soak up big sister’s love and are eager to love back in return—and to forgive wrongs.

Dear Genevieve, don’t think you are the only one facing these kind of struggles. Being a big sister can be difficult, but such an important and blessed role. Do not grow weary wherever you find yourself in your sibling relationships. Keep pressing on, day by day; be faithful and slowly, yes, slowly, progress will be made. There are times when the going is very difficult. Remember when you are struggling the most that God is trying to teach you something important. At one time recently, I felt very discouraged about the difficulties I was facing. However, the Lord then showed me an area in my life that was a block to the growth I was striving toward. He showed me my own pride, which hindered a positive response from my siblings.

For example, I must be willing to humble myself, admit and apologize when I am wrong (not try to act like I am perfect), and show that I want to try to do right and build a stronger relationship with them despite my failures, before I expect any growth to come. If I will not lay down my ideas, take a true interest in the lives of my siblings (at the cost of laying aside my own), and show sacrificial love—then they only see pride and selfish ambitions in my life. They must see me lay down myself, for 1 Corinthians 13 says this is true love. This will help develop trust and friendship.

Actually, in your letter you asked how we as big sisters should take advice and rebukes from our little siblings, and this goes hand in hand. The reason it is so hard for us to take a correction from our siblings is because of our pride. If we will not humble ourselves, how can we expect our siblings to listen to us? Little eyes are quick to pick up these inconsistencies. They will eventually pick up on the lack of humility in our lives, which can make them resentful of us, especially if we are hypocritical about living how “we preach.” It’s not going to hurt us to listen to a suggestion from a little brother (even if we do not think it is the best option) to show him love and respect. It’s really not that hard to receive correction from them—we just have to swallow that pride! And it is good to admit we are “wrong”—we don’t always have to have it “all together.” After all, we are just as imperfect as our siblings! Matthew 23:12 says, “Whosoever shall exalt himself shall be abased; and he that shall humble himself shall be exalted.”

Genevieve, we are not promised another day with our siblings. Let us not regret how we spent the days God has given us together. James 4:14 minds us, “For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away.”  What a blessing it would be for us to look back and say, in the years to come, that by God’s grace, we strove to establish relationships with our siblings that encouraged beautiful fruit of godliness in their lives as Christian adults. Our resolution to this goal is daily tested—but we must strive, by God’s grace, to become best friends—friends that stick together through all the changes and storms of life! I will be praying for you and look forward to hearing how God is working in your family relationships in your next letter. Keep pressing on, sister in Christ! ♥

With His love,
Sarah Lee

P.S. You can also read this article written last year by Sarah, which contains more practical ideas for how to encourage and invest in our siblings.
This is an encouraging article about the influence of sisters written by Timothy Arthur.

Feel free to tell your friends about this challenge and encourage them to join you as you “Encourage Your Siblings”!

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Blessing Others, Walk With Christ

The Power of the Tongue, Part 2 (March)

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Part 2 (read part 1 here)
by Sarah L. Bryant

“Every word of God is pure:
he is a shield unto them that put their trust in him.”
(Proverbs 30:5)

Last month, we looked at the power and influence of our words—they hold the power of life and death. What an encouragement this is to seek out how our Lord would have us to speak honorably. Proverbs 25:11 says that “A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in pictures of silver.” The blessing that our words can bring to others is incredible. Have you ever received a kind word on a day when you were discouraged—and been blessed? We all have been given the ability to uplift and exhort one another with our tongue.

“The words of a man’s mouth are as deep waters,
and the wellspring of wisdom as a flowing brook.”
(Proverbs 18:4)

What a beautiful and peaceful picture is given here—the words of the wise are overflowing with wisdom, as a deep flowing brook. We remember from Proverbs 31 that the words of the wise woman are filled with wisdom and kindness. Isn’t the mental picture of a prudent Christian woman beautified, when we consider that her words spill forth with wisdom—not folly and idleness? James 3 says that “The wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be intreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy. And the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace of them that make peace.” Wisdom is shown/proven through good conduct and wise, meek conversation. Our words need to reflect that which is pure, peaceable, gentle, merciful, without partiality—and without hypocrisy.

“The words of a wise man’s mouth are gracious.”
(Ecclesiastes 10:12)

Our words should not only be wise and purposeful, but also overflowing with grace…refined and gentle. Foul words, idle phrases or crude exclamations, flippant remarks, and degrading judgements should not be found on the lips of a wise woman. Some phrases and exclamations that are commonly heard in our culture are so easy to pick up, and before long, they become a habit. I encourage you to stop and think carefully about the phrases you commonly use. Are they gracious? Seek the Lord humbly, and ask Him to set a watch over your mouth. Ask for His grace in your life, to guard your lips before ungracious words come forth. The fool speaks before he thinks, and later regrets. Therefore, a wise woman must be one of few words. “In the multitude of words there wanteth not sin: but he that refraineth his lips is wise” (Proverbs 10:19). We must ask that the Lord would purify our mouths and help us use self-control in what comes forth.

Ephesians 5:1-4 contains some powerful exhortations on this topic. Let us break it down as we read…

“Be ye therefore followers of God, as dear children;”

Are we saved by God’s grace? Are we His own precious, adopted children? Then let us take careful note of what follows—

“And walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us,
and hath given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God
for a sweetsmelling savour.”

We are commanded to walk in pure love, because Christ Himself walked in love, giving Himself for the redemption of our souls. We know this truth to be life-changing…

“But fornication, and all uncleanness, or covetousness,
let it not be once named among you, as becometh saints;”

Now, we might feel justified as we read—“Okay, I don’t usually have a problem with that list…”

“Neither filthiness, nor foolish talking, nor jesting,
which are not convenient: but rather giving of thanks.”

Wait—we need to stop and examine ourselves here! Fornication is very wicked, a sin that we tend to think we would never fall into. However, foolish talking and jesting? Now that something we all do at some point or another. Foolish talking in this passage refers to silliness, ridiculous talk, nonsense, useless/idle words, or “buffoonery.” Certainly, this is not a category that I want to fall under—but do I?

And what exactly is jesting? It is joking, teasing, making puns, or being “witty” just to gain attention. Wow! I find myself convicted by this very potent passage—a lot to evaluate in my own life. We find here in God’s Word that foolish or silly talking and teasing is not to be our regular practice and habit as Christians. There are possibly appropriate times for joking with those we love, but we need to guard against this becoming a regular occurrence, since it can so easily become a habit. It is easy to constantly tease our siblings to the point that we cannot have a sober, edifying conversation with them, to joke with our friends because we are uncomfortable with getting around to serious subjects, and constantly make idle remarks just so that others think we are funny.

This passage gives us a needed reminder to steer against light-heartedness, joking, and foolishness. This is a very heavy topic to consider and pray about, for I am sure most of us struggle with this at some point or another.

“Speak not evil one of another, brethren.
He that speaketh evil of his brother, and judgeth his brother, speaketh evil of the law,
and judgeth the law: but if thou judge the law,
thou art not a doer of the law, but a judge.”
(James 4:11)

Once again, we are shown in God’s Word that our words carry so much power. Speaking evil of one another, slandering one another, speaking unkind words—all of these things are using the power of the tongue to bring death, rather than life. It can be easy to let our guard down around our family, who we are around the most. We can let unkind words fall on those we love the most, sometimes speaking evilly against our family members behind their back. This should never be our practice as God’s children. We need to carefully guard against this, for the consequences can be far-reaching, beyond our imaginations.

“My tongue shall speak of thy righteousness 
and of thy praise all the day long.”
(Psalm 35:28)

Here is one of the positive ways we can use our tongue—God’s praise! God is richly glorified when we open our lips in praise and adoration of His infinite goodness and mercy. His praise should be on our tongue all the day long. It should spill forth in every conversation and lighten our countenance. Our Lord desires and is magnified by our humble praise. He has done so much for us—loaded us with daily and hourly benefits (Psalm 103:1-5). How can we but speak His praises? This is one way we can open our mouth and give forth life!

“A good man out of the good treasure of the heart bringeth forth good things:
and an evil man out of the evil treasure bringeth forth evil things.
 But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak,
they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment. 
For by thy words thou shalt be justified,
and by thy words thou shalt be condemned.”
(Matthew 12:35-37)

Here, our Lord Jesus gets to the heart of the matter. What comes forth from our lips is what is in our heart. Sister, if your heart has not been regenerated—cleansed and redeemed by the blood of Jesus Christ—you abide under judgement and will find no power within yourself to conquer the tongue (Romans 3:23). You must repent of your wickedness before a holy God, and beg forgiveness under the atonement of the Lord Jesus (Romans 5:8). He is ready and able to forgive, and wipe your heart clean (Ezekial 36:26). Jesus alone can cleanse your mouth and set forth His praise forevermore thereon (Romans 10:9-10)!

As I have studied God’s Word on this topic, I have felt the Lord’s conviction. I have seen areas that need to be changed. At first, I thought that it would be very difficult to discipline myself to be purposeful about my words, but as I sought the Lord in prayer to assist me in this goal, I found victory in Him. He enables that which He commands.

Sister, please stop and consider the words of your mouth. What category would most of your words fall under—wise, gracious, kind, foolish, idle…? This is no light matter before our holy and gracious Lord. We will be called to give account of every word (Matthew 12:37)! If you find that your words need to speak more life and your vocabulary needs refinement, please ask the Lord to purify your mouth! It is definitely not unattainable; the Lord’s grace is more than sufficient. He blesses our efforts to be obedient to His commands.

We have been saved by the precious blood of a Savior, Whose Words spoke this world into being (Hebrews 1:1), Whose every word was pure and loving. Who, by being the very Word (John 1:1-3), has shown us the way of redemption. He has given us the privilege to speak words as well. We can choose to embrace the power of the tongue to be a blessing on a daily—hourly—basis, if we refrain our lips from guile. “For he that will love life, and see good days, let him refrain his tongue from evil, and his lips that they speak no guile.” (I Peter 3:10)

I don’t know about you, but I want my heavenly Father to be the doorkeeper of my lips!
Will you pray with me—

“Set a watch, O LORD, before my mouth;
keep the door of my lips.”
(Psalm 141:3)

At His mercy,

P.S. There are countless other verses God has given us about the power of our words, and I encourage you to personally study this topic and seek the Lord as you evaluate your own life.
 

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Walk With Christ

The Power of the Tongue (February)

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Part 1
by Sarah L. Bryant

 

“Death and life are in the power of the tongue:
and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof.”
(Proverbs 18:21)

God’s Word has been speaking to me about the influence and importance of my words. As I have noted the countless verses that speak directly of the power of the tongue, I have learned that this area is not something to be taken lightly, for it is obviously extremely important to the Lord. Our words will reap tremendous blessed fruit or painful consequences. In fact, this verse says that death and life are in the power of our tongues. That is pretty amazing to think about. To be sure, our actions are very weighty; yet, our words can bring even more powerful consequences! God’s Word states that “the tongue is a little member, and boasteth great things. Behold, how great a matter a little fire kindleth!” (James 3:5) This passage also says that the tongue is an incredibly difficult, and even impossible, member of our bodies to tame—outside of the power of the Lord in our life.

As we study this topic and see how important our words are, it is helpful to consider the example of our perfect heavenly Father. What are His words like? Psalm 12:6 says, “The words of the LORD are pure words: as silver tried in a furnace of earth, purified seven times.” Never does ANY word or even letter come forth from the Lord’s mouth without being completely refined and perfected. In fact, they are like silver purified seven times in the hottest furnace. After seven purifications, silver is completely pure and of highest quality. Similarly, God’s words are utterly perfect and we can trust our lives upon the truth of His promises.

The Psalmist revels, “How sweet are thy words unto my taste! yea, sweeter than honey to my mouth!” (119:103) How beautiful and joyful are the words of the Lord to us, as His children!

As I consider how quickly I can slip and say something unkind or ungracious, I stand in awe of my God, Whose every word is PURE. How humbling it is to see my own frailty and weakness, in governing one of the smallest instruments of my body—my tongue! And yet, how comforting it is to know that the Lord’s strength is ever present, if I will humbly ask Him to set a watch over my mouth, and help me speak in a way that always honors Him.

Psalm 139:4 reminds us of how important it is that we carefully chose our words, for every single one is heard in the very throne-room of God: “For there is not a word in my tongue, but, lo, O LORD, thou knowest it altogether.” This thought is extremely sobering! It reveals how imperative it is for us to know HOW the Lord wants us to govern our tongues. It encourages us to check our words and evaluate them in light of our holy Redeemer’s standard.

So, what does the Lord say about this topic? What does “taming the tongue” look like? How thankful I am for the dozens of verses that the Lord has given in His Word, which focus on this topic. I would like to share several helpful passages with you.

“The words of the pure are pleasant words.”
(Proverbs 15:26)

On a most basic level, our words should be pleasant—pleasing, uplifting, edifying, a blessing for others to hear. We do not want to be like the brawling woman described in Proverbs, whose lips constantly complain and nag, and whose mouth is like a dripping faucet. As sisters, we should strive against nagging our siblings or bossing them around constantly. It is helpful for me to challenge myself to “pleasant words” as an exercise (it is not always easy!).

“A soft tongue breaketh the bone.”
(Proverbs 25:15)

Truly, a kind and gracious word in the face of anger or opposition breaks the conscience. Picture this scene: you have been cooking in the kitchen, and your older sister walks in the room and notes the large mess that has been made. Needing to make dinner, she impatiently comments, “Why did you make such a mess? I need the kitchen cleaned up so that I can prepare dinner!” Your natural tendency, of course, would be to reply impatiently at her remark. However, what if you decide to respond with a soft word—in love and kindness—rather than impulsive impatience? You kindly reply, “I am so sorry this project took me so long. I am finishing it up right now and will wash the dishes in just a minute so you can make dinner.” Can you see how this response would convict your older sister and soften her impatience, and allow you both to work together the rest of the evening without conflict and bitterness? Soft words of kindness can truly mend relationships within seconds—it only requires swallowing that pride!

“Therewith bless we God, even the Father;
and therewith curse we men, which are made after the similitude of God.
Out of the same mouth proceedeth blessing and cursing.
My brethren, these things ought not so to be.
Doth a fountain send forth at the same place sweet water and bitter?”
(James 3:9-11) 

I have been pondering the sad fact that from our mouths often come blessing and cursing, as this passage points out. Isn’t it true, that at church, we can speak words of kind encouragement to someone, and the next hour at home, we can snap at a sibling? How can this be so, if the sweet water of Jesus Christ’s spirit truly flows in our heart (John 15:4)? How can we spill forth “sweet” water, and “bitter” water? It ought not to be this way! Our family members should never be treated with less honor and love that others outside of our homes. Let us seek to be true real and honest before the Lord, for He knows our hearts—and our words.

There are several more passages that I would love to share with you, dear sisters, on this topic, and I hope to do so in next month’s article. Meanwhile, this month, will you prayerfully study James chapter three, learn about the power of your words? You will be amazed at how much emphasis He places on the power of our tongues. Then humbly evaluate your words and pray for wisdom as to how to open your mouth with wisdom and love. Ask the Lord to convict you of areas that need to be changed. May this be your heart’s prayer:

“Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, 
be acceptable in thy sight, O LORD, my strength, and my redeemer.” 
(Psalm 19:14) 

“A man hath joy by the answer of his mouth:
and a word spoken in due season, how good is it!”
(Proverbs 15:23) 

Let us seek to speak words of LIFE!

Rejoicing in the WORD,

P.S. Be sure to check back this month for a special surprise we will be sharing on our website!

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Praising the Lord, Walk With Christ

Experiencing God (January)

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“Every day will I bless thee;
and I will praise thy name for ever and ever.”
(Psalm 145:2) 

It is hard to believe that we stand on the threshold of a brand new year! I love the fresh start of a new year and am excited about what the Lord will do in 2014. I also am blessed as I reflect upon God’s blessings and lessons in the journey of 2013. How many tender mercies He has daily shown (Lamentations 3:23), and things He has taught me about Himself. This past year has been one of the most enriched times in my walk with the Lord.

Not because it has been the easiest. Quite the contrary.

But I’ve experienced great joy and blessing in 2013, because I have experienced Him. I look back and see God’s great faithfulness to me each day. Through the fire, God has shown to me His overwhelming goodness, His strength, and His precious Word. And it is there, in the pain of my own weakness, that I have come to know the Lord Jesus as never before. And oh, how faithful the Lord is. Christ leads us every step of the way and He is what really matters in my life. As I have learned to “be still and know that He is” (Psalm 46:10), I have experienced Him in all of His glorious attributes…

He is…

He is. He always will be. He is God, and as an eternal Being, He is eternally my Father and gentle Shepherd! There is nothing in earth or in the heavens that can prevail against my Father or end His existence. The joy that this never-changing truth brings to me, as His child, is truly too deep to describe. This Lord is my own God, Creator, Savior,  strength, song, Guide, conqueror, protector…and He can never change or die (Malachi 3:6)! I can trust Him no matter what storms may arise or opposition assails, for He is with me and will never forsake me. “For He hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee” (Hebrews 13:5). Oh, what glorious truth. In the journey of life, we need to often quiet our minds of our troubles, set aside our fears, rest in our trial, and just know that God is.

“Some of the most rapturous moments
we will know will be those we spend in reverent admiration of the Godhead.
In those holy moments the very thought of
change in Him will be too painful to endure.”
-A.W. Tozer

He is good

How unspeakably good our God is. He is good apart from anything He does, creates, blesses us with—despite who we are, how we change, how we sin, whether we obey, whether we understand—He is good no matter what. Our Almighty Father can never do anything that is not good. We may face a shattering loss, death, sickness, or grief, but it can never change Who God is. Yes, we often do not understand how God can work “all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to His purpose” (Romans 8:28), but it is His promise to us, and we know that He WILL indeed do work everything for His ultimate good and glory. We must cling to this truth no matter what trials come and tempt us to stop trusting Him! God is the only One worthy of our trust, and we must cling to Him like Job—“Though He slay me, yet will I trust in Him” (Job 13:15).

“For since the beginning of the world men have not heard,
nor perceived by the ear, neither hath the eye seen,
O God, beside thee, what he hath prepared
for him that waiteth for him.”
(Isaiah 64:4)

He is gracious and gentle

It is overwhelming for me to think of God’s gentleness to His people. He is not a distant father orchestrating the details in our lives without love, care, mercy, and gentleness. Rather, He is a very close, tender, gracious Father Who is right here, intimately involved in our hearts, feelings, desires, prayers, and though He does do things in our lives that can be very difficult, He always does so with great tenderness. He has His arms wrapped around us, hiding us in His secret Place—under His wing (Psalm 91). And in the shadow of His mighty wings, there is nothing that can harm us. There, we can experience His tender love and promises to us in His Word, in the midst of great hardship. We can cling to Him and find Him all-sufficient and caring about our troubles. There we can know that even in the difficulties of life, He cares and loves us with His everlasting love. There we can trust in His goodness, though in the darkness of the night we cannot “see” it. We can know that when the sun breaks through the clouds, we will stand in utter awe of our Lord’s marvelous love and glory. Ponder the tenderness this passage portrays of our dear Shepherd:

 “He shall feed his flock like a shepherd:
he shall gather the lambs with his arm, and carry them in his bosom,
and shall gently lead those that are with young.”
(Isaiah 40:11)

He is sufficient

…after all, He is Jehovah Jireh, and that name tells us…

that you can trust God always;
that no promise of His ever fails;
that He does all things well;
that out of all seeming loss and destruction of human hopes,
He brings blessing.
…because the Lord will provide!
-J.R. Miller

Our Jehovah Jireh is our only source of strength, yet so often we will not acknowledge or recognize our complete dependency and need for Him. Therefore, He uses trials in our lives to show us our own weakness, doubt, fear, and struggles—and when we see that we cannot overcome them without HIM, we fall at His feet, begging for His strength. He always hears our cries, and has promised, “When the poor and needy seek water, and there is none, and their tongue faileth for thirst, I the LORD will hear them, I the God of Israel will not forsake them” (Isaiah 41:17). God understands completely our weakness, and He alone is sufficient to meet that need and give us strength to press on. How good it is to experience His power, in its fullness!

“For thou hast been a strength to the poor,
a strength to the needy in his distress, a refuge from the storm,
a shadow from the heat, when the blast of the terrible ones
is as a storm against the wall.”
(Isaiah 25:4)

It is through death, the darkest mountain, that we lay hold on eternal life,
the greatest triumph.
In the same way, it is through conflict that we discover God’s true peace.
It is through weariness that we experience God’s limitless strength.
It is through despair that we realize God’s bright hope.
It is through rejection that we feel God’s faithful acceptance.
It is through need that we find God’s perfect fulfillment.
It is through a mountain of difficulty that we reach the greatest heights.
Without the steep climb, we would not know the summit.
Without the pain, we would not recognize the healing.
Without the need, we would not enjoy its fulfillment.
-Unknown

He is always Victor

Sometimes we need a little reminder of how great our God is. When we feel engulfed by a trial, we need to step back and take a fresh look at GOD. At His power and sovereignty. Here are some notes I wrote in my journal one day, when I stopped to contemplate the Lord.

Just Who is my God—and what can He do? Today my faith in the One I long to meet needed a reminder, so I read through a list I made last year about God’s attributes displayed in the Old Testament. Imagine all of the greatest things in the world — and then multiply that 1000x — and that is MY God!! He is beyond all of my wildest imaginations. Truly I have nothing to ever doubt or fear, because His promises stand true and firm.

Ponder some of the incredible things He has done in the past. Joseph — sold by his own brothers into slavery. I can’t fathom his grief and loneliness through years of slavery and imprisonment. Yet, he chose to be faithful through those long days, and eventually the utter impossible happened — he was exalted as ruler of the entire land of Egypt, and later reunited with his own father and brothers. And Gideon — he had “too many men” in his army. God wanted the glory to fight his battle for him — and He did! Think of how many times God spared David’s life. And Daniel, a man who feared and trusted God even if it meant he would be dashed to pieces by lions. Countless times in God’s Word I see how He turned lives up-side down, using difficulties to bring joy and blessing. Esther. Rahab. Hannah. Elizabeth. Mary. God’s people have faced the most impossible, grievous, difficult trials and situations that can be imagined — and God delivered them from them ALL.

There is an entire cloud — countless gathering — of saints who have gone before and can testify to His faithfulness.

And this is my God. HE is my Guide even unto death (Psalm 48:14).

“To whom then will ye liken me, or shall I be equal? saith the Holy One. Lift up your eyes on high, and behold who hath created these things, that bringeth out their host by number: he calleth them all by names by the greatness of his might, for that he is strong in power; not one faileth.” (Isaiah 40:25-26)

He is my Guide

The Lord is truly more glorious than I can imagine. I find such joy in knowing that I will walk through all of this earthly life with Him at my side—Him as my Guide. I know He will never fail me, and He will go with and before me throughout the journey of life, drawing me ever closer to Himself along the way.

But best of all—I know that I will be spending not only this earthly life with the Lord, but also a coming eternity—in His presence! Throughout the unending annals of eternity, I will catch brighter glimpses of His holiness, and that joy will be all the more precious because of these earthly trials (2 Corinthians 4:18).

“And it shall be said in that day,
Lo, this is our God; we have waited for him,
and he will save us: this is the LORD;
we have waited for him, we will be glad and rejoice in his salvation.”
(Isaiah 25:9) 

We do not know when the Day will be, when our Lord calls us Home. Sister, do you know my God as your Savior and Guide? If you have not trusted Him with your eternal soul for salvation, please do not let a day of this new year go by without yielding to His merciful call for repentance (Romans 3:23-25). Call unto Him, and be saved. Embark on the greatest journey of your entire life!

At His mercy,

P.S. What did the Lord teaching you about Himself this past year? Was there a particular passage of Scripture that blessed you? We would love to hear from you and what the Lord has taught you – please share in a comment!

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