GOD CAN DO IT

Why my soul are you downcast? Why so disturbed

within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet

praise him, my Savior and my God.

(Psalm 42:11, NIV)

The title of this post is actually the title of a very encouraging message preached by Pastor Anthony George of First Baptist Atlanta. It was one of many "responses" I received in the days following a Dear God letter I wrote telling Him about my frustrations over the setbacks that seem to be attached to all my blessings, and asking Him to help me rest in Him and trust Him more instead of giving way to discouragement.

Some of those "responses" were in the form of messages in my devotionals that seemed  to speak straight to my heart:

* STOP letting your problems and situations rule over you! You are an overcomer through Jesus and His Holy Spirit who lives in you. 

* If you have put your faith in the Lord, you don't have to worry about life's necessities. God himself has assumed responsibility for your food and clothing and all of your needs (Matthew 6:25-34).

* An easy life masks your need for God. Coming face to face with impossible situations beyond your ability to handle is the best place to encounter God in His glory and power. Cry out to him and let Him fight for you.

* Trust God and don't be afraid.  Trials and adversities are part of living in a fallen world. View them as exercises designed to develop your trust muscles. 

* Fear is one of Satan's favorite weapons. Resist him in the name of Jesus, and He will slink away from you (James 4:7).

The final "response," and one that seemed to reiterate all the others, even adding an exclamation point at the end, is one I had never considered before and that i am still pondering. It was part of a testimony Pastor George was sharing in his sermon (linked at the top of this post), of a friend who is a single dad of a special needs son.

The dad had been telling Pastor George that the statement many well meaning people use to encourage you when you are struggling through a hard time--God will never put more on you than you can handle--is a lie. God does put more on you than you can handle, but He never puts more on you than He can handle, and He is the God for whom nothing is impossible and whose Holy Spirit lives inside of you. 

When you are burdened with things you cannot bear, cry out to God for help and remember that Jesus is the one carrying the load. 

The cry of desperation is what God responds to best, because when you get to the end of your rope, that's when you realize that you're trusting God completely, and that though there's  nothing you can do in your own strength, you can do all things through Christ who strengthens you (Philippians 4:13). 

WISH I HAD A PICTURE

Stay alert! Watch out for your great 

enemy, the devil. He prowls around 

like a roaring lion, looking for

someone to devour.  

(1 Peter 5:8, NLT)

 There are many things I wish I had pictures of, like the cute little fluffy birds perched on my balcony railing this morning, or the slippery mess of a box Amazon left outside my door the other day.

Back to the other day. A day at the tail end of a very exasperating week when very little had been accomplished, and my "bucket" was quickly filling up with drop after drop of increasing frustration. I was feeling overwhelmed and frazzled by computer issues, unwanted interruptions, not being able to get a response from customer support to my many requests for help with the software I had purchased from them that was not functioning and that was preventing me from being able to do my work, and the return of the lanternflies that I had been so happy seemed to be gone this summer.

When I went out to water the wildflowers on my balcony and spotted a lanternfly sitting on the leaf of one of them, it felt as though Satan was having a field day pushing my buttons and thumbing his nose at me while getting a good laugh at my expense.

Could anything else go wrong? The last drop fell into the bucket when I opened my door to retrieve a box Amazon had delivered, and it was so slippery I could barely turn it over to open it. How I wish I had thought to take a picture of that.

In the box was a jug of detergent, the cap of which had somehow managed to get unscrewed, and its soapy contents had spilled out, filling the box and pouring out of it. Great gobs of slippery soap were all over my doormat and the hallway carpet in front of my door. I can't even start to imagine how the delivery person was even able to get the box all the way from the truck through the courtyard, to my building, and up the stairs to my second- floor apartment.

That's when I was struck by how ludicrous this string of events that I had allowed to rattle me had been, and now I was the one getting the last laugh at the absurdity of it all.

WHEN YOUR TESTIMONY ISN'T WHAT YOU EXPECTED

And now, dear brothers and sisters, one

final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is

true, and honorable, and right, and pure,

and lovely, and admirable. Think about

things that are excellent and worthy of

praise.  (Philippians 4:8, NLT)

When something looks like a testimony, but then doesn't play out the way I think it would have if it really had been, it's so easy for me to feel discouraged, confused, and let down, especially if I have already enthusiastically shared it with everyone I had an opportunity to share it with. 

This time around though, several scripture verses and passages in my daily devotionals were so timely they jumped off the page at me, persuading me to consider an alternate point of view.  That, plus the constant Godwinks the Lord keeps sending me to remind me that He is aware of my every need--no matter how small--and that He is taking care of me. Reminders to rest in Him and trust Him rather than the dictates of my senses or my intellect.

Instead of being disappointed that the results of my surgery were not all that I anticipated they would be, I choose to add the word "yet."  I believe this chapter is still being written, and what I see is not the end of the story.

                         Don't panic. I'm with you. There's no 

                         need to fear for I'm your God.  I'll 

                         give you strength. I'll help you. I'll 

                         hold you steady, keep a firm grasp

                         on you.  (Isaiah 40:10, The Message)    

WORDS OF ENCOURAGEMENT AND REASSURANCE

When you're in over your head, I'll be there with you.

When you're in rough waters, you will not go down.

(Isaiah 43:2, MSG)

I THIRST AND MY THOUGHTS ARE JUMBLED

Physically, I thirst. Even though I am allowed to drink and have a variety of beverages to choose from, each sip seems to make my mouth feel even more parched and dry. 

Spiritually, I thirst. I thirst for God in what feels like a dry and exhausting land, but my thoughts are jumbled. 

I pray for the Lord to develop my inner strength so that I won't cave in when I'm buffeted by life's unexpected blows and tribulations, but I do so with fear and trepidation because I know that in order for that prayer to be answered I will need to face some storms and I am a real wimp where physical pain is concerned.

Even though I know that storms are doorways to greater dependency and intimacy with the Lord, and that perfect peace is the result of trusting Him in all things instead of worrying about them or trying to take control and get them to turn out the way I want them to, it is still a challenge to stop striving and keep my eyes focused on Jesus no matter how things may be looking in the natural.

One day I know I will look back on my present storm and realize (which I am already starting to do), that what seemed like the worst of times was really the best of times even though it didn't seem like it at the time, because that's when God was able to get a grip of my heart and change my desires to seeking His face instead of His hand. It was when I truly grasped (not just in my head) my neediness and His sovereignty over all my circumstances, and that His plan and His timing truly are better than mine as He sees the whole picture, the end from the beginning, which I do not.

This, and the reminder that I never have to face anything alone. No matter what challenges lie before me, Jesus, my good Shepherd, is right there beside me, walking through them with me.

TIMING: PART 2

This post was started on my other blog in response to a weekly challenge I usually participate in, called Five Minute Friday, where we are given a word prompt and then free write about it for five minutes. 

Friday's word was "Timing." However, I ran out of time before I could even get to these thoughts, so this is sort of a Part 2.

The original post was about the consequences of missing God's timing. (You can click here if you are interested in reading it.) Situations change, and opportunities pass by, which is why it is so important to be sensitive to spiritual promptings and be quick to obey them.  

What I had wanted to include, but didn't, was a lesson I learned the hard way about the need to be patient and trust in God's timing. The need to remember that He sees the whole picture, which I do not, that His thoughts and His ways are far superior to mine, and that His timing is always perfect.

It didn't happen through just one incident, but it was one incident that brought home most dramatically, the fact that God's thoughts are not my thoughts, and His plans unfold according to His divine schedule--not according to my preferenes and expectations. It was an incident that totally turned my life upside down.

Back in the day, I was all about trying to make testimonies happen. I would second guess what the Lord was doing in my life--or about to do--and when it wasn't happening when and how I thought it should, I would try and help Him speed things along. What it most often did instead, was mess things up and cause me to miss out on something much better He had in mind.

This particular incident happened at a time in my life when I was feeling quite settled and content, and no longer looking for a relationship. My out-of-town boss unexpectedly proposed to me and offered me what sounded like the job of my dreams if I relocated. I had mixed feelings. 

Though I enjoyed my independence and being able to come and go as I pleased, it also felt nice to have someone think I was special and seem genuinely concerned about my wellbeing. Someone who convinced me he was a man of integrity whose word could be banked on. That was a novel experience. Me being pursued by who I thought was a mature, trustworthy, responsible Christian man. 

I prayed for the Lord to close all doors if this wasn't from Him, but at the same time, I tuned out all the little checks in my spirit, and the little red flags the still small voice within me was trying to bring to my attention. I saw only what I wanted to see, and heard only what I wanted to hear, and when both his pastor and mine gave us their blessing, I reasoned that it was a sign of the Lord's blessing as well.

All I could think of was what an awesome testimony this would turn out to be. My friends all seemed to agree with the awesome testimony part as well--except for one, who warned me not to be so hasty. I did not listen. 

Instead, I tried helping the Lord bring things to pass more quickly, by accepting my landlord's offer to pay me for vacating my apartment, closing my business, giving away most of my possessions, and getting ready to move.

When all my bridges had been burned behind me, I discovered my friend was not being a killjoy. Her warning had been well founded.

There was no job, there was no marriage, and there was no turning back. Just one big slice of humble pie, along with confirmation that God's word is the only word that can be banked on 100 percent of the time.

By God's mercy and grace, things eventually turned around for my good and His glory, but not before my pride had been chipped away, and many more lessons learned.

FEELING HOPEFUL

There are a couple of issues I've been dealing with for so long I've pretty much given up on seeing change this side of Heaven, and have resigned myself to accepting. One of them is my aching, hunched over back.

The Lord, however, is using my jade plant to remind me that nothing is impossible with Him.

My jade plant had outgrown the pot it was in, and its woody stem that had grown as thick as a tree trunk, was bent over and rigid (like my back) all because I had not been consistent about turning the pot around to face the sun. 

The plant was leaning against the window for support, and was so heavy it could no longer be turned without having the pot tip over.

With a friend's help, we repotted it into a much larger pot, but we couldn't straighten it enough to keep it from tipping over. We secured it to several bamboo stakes to try and provide enough support to keep it from toppling over and turned the bent part towards the sun, hoping that would cause it to straighten. 

Because of how thick and inflexible looking that stem had become, I honestly didn't expect that to happen--any more than I expected my back to straighten. In my eyes, neglect had caused damage beyond repair to both it and me.

Much to my great surprise, however, only ten days later, I'm noticing that that thick trunk is slowly starting to bend the other way. 

That gives me hope that possibly, if I am consistent in my efforts, my back too could show signs of straightening? I know God is patient and longsuffering and that He never gives up on us, but is this too much to ask or expect?

The devotional I read during my quiet time this morning was full of hopeful and encouraging words that seemed very timely and relevant to my issue, as well as contain an answer to my question.

The gist of the message was that unbelief looks at the past and says it can't be done (my thoughts about the damage I've done to my back),  but faith looks at the future and says it can.

God's mercies are new every morning (Lamentations 3:22-23), and if we take God at His word, that means we can wake up every morning to a brand new world and live unhindered by the past.

It ended with an exhortation to replace thoughts of yesterday's mistakes with Scriptural promises about the future, and instead of telling myself I can't, replace that with I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me (Philippians 4:13).

A LESSON AND A WARNING

I think there's a lesson and a warning here. I know there is!

My favorite sweet treat, after I gave up chocolate, was a candy known as Maple Nut Goodies, made by the candy company Brach. 

And then, one day, the unthinkable happened. It was no longer anywhere to be found. A Google search revealed the company had been sold to a new manufacturer who kept the Brach brand name, but  discontinued this particular item.

Fast forward to Easter 2026--several years later--when my daughter surprised me with a giant bag of them she had found on a visit to Cracker Barrel. I was so excited I couldn't wait to get home and open up the bag. 

When I did, I noticed the candy didn't look quite the same as it used to, and when I tasted it, it was okayish, but nothing like it used to taste either. Even the picture on the front of the bag, on closer inspection, wasn't quite the same. 

That's when I noticed that it wasn't the real thing. It had not been manufactured by Brach, but by a different company.

Whereas it started out as a disappointment because of the noticeable difference in taste, I kept going back to the bag for more, and each time I did so, the difference started to fade, until gradually I wasn't noticing it at all, and was quite enjoying my treat.

Not that there's anything wrong about enjoying a sweet treat, but the realization of how quickly my taste buds had dulled, made me think of the many warnings in Scripture to stay vigilant in these last days lest we be distracted, deceived, and spiritually blinded as our eyes become more and more fixed on the pleasures and cares of this world instead of the things of God. Always busy, always entertained, but seldom watching and praying or aware of the evil rising around us, until it is too late. (Luke 21:34, 2 Timothy 3:1-4, 1 Peter 5:8, Matthew 24:37). 

Reminds me of the story of the frog dropped into a pot of water that would have immediately hopped out if the water was hot. If the water was cool, however, and only slowly heated, the frog would not notice the gradual change in temperature until it is too late and it gets boiled to death.

----------------------------------------------------------

In those days before the flood, the people were

enjoying banquets and parties and weddings

right up to the time Noah entered his boat.

People didn't realize what was going to

happen until the flood came and swept them

all away. That is the way t will be when the

Son of Man comes.  (Matthew 24:37-39, NLT)

IT HAPPENED AGAIN!

Why do I keep making assumptions and judging people and situations, no matter how often and how dramatically the Lord reveals to me how wrong I am? 

Recently, it was in such a convicting way, I felt wrecked by remorse at the thoughts of condemnation I had been harboring about a friend and playing over and over in my mind. 

Not only did He open my eyes to how off base my thoughts had been, but He also reminded me that even if I had been right--which I had not-- it was none of my business anyway. It was between Him and her. 

I know that I know that I know that things are not always what they seem, and that only the Lord sees the whole picture and knows what is in a person's heart.  I also know that the enemy comes to steal and kill and destroy, and that he is a master of pushing our buttons to get us to believe his lies.  And yet, I did it again. I made three faulty assumptions in one day. Albeit, this time, without letting them disturb my peace of mind.

That, at least, is progress in the right direction.

ACCEPTANCE

God grant me the serenity to accept the things

I cannot change, courage to change the things

I can, and wisdom to know the difference.

(Reinhold Niebuhr)

A conversation with a friend last night led to a couple more timely reminders, such as Reinhold Niebuhr's Serenity Prayer, and the well-known passage on acceptance in AA's Big Book that I have added to the end of this post.

The wording is a little different than the reminders I wrote about in my previous post, but the message is the same. God is in control, and I need to trust Him instead of trying to do things my way. And I am trying, really I am, to let go and abandon myself to what He is doing in my life instead of trying to get Him to bless my attempts to make things happen the way I think they should.

My perspective is so limited. Only He sees the whole picture and knows the end from the beginning, which puts Him in a far better position than I am to know what really is best.

                Acceptance is the answer to ALL of my 

                problems today. When I am disturbed,

                it is because I find some person, place,

                thing, or situation--some fact of  my life--

                unacceptable to me, and I can find no

                serenity until I accept that person, place,

                thing, or situation as being exactly the

                way it is supposed to be at this moment.

                Nothing, absolutely nothing, happens in

                God's world by mistake.

                (The Big Book, p. 417)

TIMELY REMINDERS

Do not gloat over me, my enemy! Though

I have fallen, I will rise. Though I sit in

darkness, the LORD will be my light.

(Micah 7:8, NIV)

Just the other day I was shedding tears while sharing the frustration I was feeling over an ongoing financial trial with a friend and asking her why God was not providing a way out of it as He had always been faithful to do in the past.

She had no answers, but the next day and the day after, some timely reminders (and answers to my question) popped out at me from the pages of a couple of devotionals I had been reading during my early morning quiet time with the Lord.

I'm jotting them down here to help etch them a little more firmly in my mind, but also in hopes they will encourage someone else as well who might be feeling as dejected as I had been the day of my friend's visit.

1.   Whatever you allow to captivate your mind will rule your life. Will it be the truths in God's Word, or the lies of Satan?

2.   Resist the devil and refuse to surrender to the circumstantial pressure he brings your way.

3.   God's ability is not limited by your inability.

4.   Though trials are not pleasant, and we may not be able to understand the why, we can trust that God is in control and thank Him for the good things we anticipate He will bring about, in His perfect time, through this unpleasant bit of life.

5.   Instead of trying to get God to do this or that, try to adjust to what He is already doing, and give yourself fully to the adventure of each day.

6.   Rather than try to maintain control over your life, abandon yourself to God's will, knowing that Jesus is walking right beside you.

7.   Jesus is your Shepherd, and He is taking care of you, so you don't have to be afraid of anything.

And last, but not least, some words of wisdom from Dennis J. DeHaan:

        Once we stop our own devising,

        Quit the schemes of our own choosing,

        Cease from all our fruitless striving,

        God steps in with grace and power!

LEARNING TO LET GO

Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be

constant in prayer. (Romans 12:12, ESV)

That was a very timely verse in a very timely post I recently read on my blog friend Lucinalva's blog. She was writing about how this world is a very stressful place, and how essential it is to learn (from the example set by Jesus) how to maintain balance and respond correctly in the face of challenges.

 Patience is definitely not my forté--especially when things are not going my way--and in the days prior to reading Lucinalva's post, my little world had been very stressful indeed. Technical issues that took hours to resolve, a leak from a busted hot water heater in the utility room, being lied to by someone who thought they had put one over on me, being told I was wrong when I was right by an obstinate handyman who I am dependent on to get things fixed in my apartment, and trying to get past robots who answer the phone and make it just about impossible to get through to a live person. The way I screamed at the robot in my frustration was definitely not what Jesus would do.

I was feeling really traumatized by my lack of control over the many things not going my way, not being able to get people (or robots) do what I wanted them to, and making a lot of assumptions that more often than not turn out to be wrong. 

There is a two-word remedy, which I am trying to remember to apply--LET GO! 

When I focus on the present, remind myself that God is in control and working things out according to His perfect plan, and trust the outcome to Him, He fills my heart with His peace that surpasses understanding even if things don't look as though they are heading the way I think they should. 

Peace feels so much better than being right or having my own way, but I can't have it unless I let go.