Tag: I called

Kicking and Screaming

“The LORD is my strength and my shield; in him my heart trusts, and I am helped; my heart exults, and with my song I give thanks to him. The LORD is the strength of his people; he is the saving refuge of his anointed.”

Psalms 86:16  Turn to me and be gracious to me; give your strength to your servant, and save the son of your maidservant. Show me a sign of your favor, that those who hate me may see and be put to shame because you, LORD, have helped me and comforted me.

Psalms 69:16     Answer me, O LORD, for your steadfast love is good; according to your abundant mercy, turn to me.

Psalms 90:13     Return, O LORD! How long? Have pity on your servants!

Psalms 119:132    Turn to me and be gracious to me, as is your way with those who love your name.

Psalms 84:5     Blessed are those whose strength is in you, in whose heart are the highways to Zion.

Psalms 138:3     On the day I called, you answered me; my strength of soul you increased.

Isaiah 40:29     He gives power to the faint, and to him who has no might he increases strength.  Even youths shall faint and be weary, and young men shall fall exhausted;  but they who wait for the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.

Zechariah 10:12     I will make them strong in the LORD, and they shall walk in his name,” declares the LORD.

Ephesians 3:16     that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being,

Philippians 4:13     I can do all things through him who strengthens me.

Why is it important to have the right source for inner strength?  Where does true inner strength come from? How does it appear in our life?  Living this side of eternity will have it’s battles.  Walking into these battles there are times we walk with God, times God carries us through them, and times when He drags us kicking and screaming through them.  In Him alone will there be strength to face whatever comes our way.  In Him we have no fear of tomorrow.  In Him there is peace that passes all understanding.  The times we walk with God to face head that which is before us are during times when His Holy Spirit fills us, we are listening and in tune with His leading, we walk fully trusting and relying on His power.  The times He is carrying us are during those times when life hits us with a punch so hard it takes the wind from our sail and we can’t seem to move or find out way through it.  He picks us up and carries us in His power, strength, might, and love.  His arms wrap around us and we find comfort, refuge, and hope.  The times He drags us is when we don’t listen, we shut Him from our life, we walk apart from Him and try to go our own way.  We think we are in control and have no need for Him or His word of truth.  It seems as though God drags us into a battle so big with so much uncertainty, where we truly can’t seem to find our way through it.  Our own strength is drained to a point we quit kicking and screaming and seek Him for we have tried to handle it on our own.  We find peace, hope, joy, and comfort.  I don’t know where you are but the best place to be is humbly serving, honoring, following, and obeying God.  Spend time in His word and build your faith in Him who can do all things. In Hi who can do more than we ask and much more than we can imagine.

Why does He seem far away

“And you, O generation, behold the word of the LORD. Have I been a wilderness to Israel, or a land of thick darkness? Why then do my people say, ‘We are free, we will come no more to you’? Can a virgin forget her ornaments, or a bride her attire? Yet my people have forgotten me days without number.“

Psalms 27:5  For he will hide me in his shelter in the day of trouble; he will conceal me under the cover of his tent; he will lift me high upon a rock.

Psalms 10:1   Why, O LORD, do you stand far away? Why do you hide yourself in times of trouble?

Proverbs 1:24-28  Because I have called and you refused to listen, have stretched out my hand and no one has heeded,  because you have ignored all my counsel and would have none of my reproof,  I also will laugh at your calamity; I will mock when terror strikes you,  when terror strikes you like a storm and your calamity comes like a whirlwind, when distress and anguish come upon you.  Then they will call upon me, but I will not answer; they will seek me diligently but will not find me. 

Jeremiah 2:26  “As a thief is shamed when caught, so the house of Israel shall be shamed: they, their kings, their officials, their priests, and their prophets,  who say to a tree, ‘You are my father,’ and to a stone, ‘You gave me birth.’ For they have turned their back to me, and not their face. But in the time of their trouble they say, ‘Arise and save us!’

Hosea 13:5  It was I who knew you in the wilderness, in the land of drought; but when they had grazed, they became full, they were filled, and their heart was lifted up; therefore they forgot me.

Deuteronomy 8:12-14  lest, when you have eaten and are full and have built good houses and live in them,  and when your herds and flocks multiply and your silver and gold is multiplied and all that you have is multiplied,  then your heart be lifted up, and you forget the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery,

Psalms 10:4  In the pride of his face the wicked does not seek him; all his thoughts are, “There is no God.”

Revelation 3:15-17  “‘I know your works: you are neither cold nor hot. Would that you were either cold or hot!  So, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth.  For you say, I am rich, I have prospered, and I need nothing, not realizing that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked.

David proclaims; “he will hide me in his shelter in the day of trouble; he will conceal me under the cover of his tent; he will lift me high upon a rock”.  Why are there times in our lives that we don’t seem to find God’s shelter or feel we are under His cover, or being lifted up out of our troubles?  Scripture is full of warnings and outcomes.  These outcomes are  due to direct choices we have made.  Read them, they are clear.  When God called we did not listen.  We ignored His counsel. We have sought comfort in things created and not the creator. In our comfort we have forgotten Him. In plenty our hearts are lifted up and see no need of God.  In our pride we do not look to Him. Our faith and works are lukewarm.  We live in comfort and do not see need for God in our lives.  When we do such things God says: “I will spit you out of my mouth”, “I will not answer”, “They will not find me” and “I will hide from you”.  So to answer why does God seem far away to our cry for help – is because we have chosen a path that does not have God leading.  Have we chosen to follow our own path?  Have we chosen “NOT” listen to Him?  There must be a heart and mind change.  Confess, repent, and seek Him, listen, follow, and obey Him, write His words on your heart and mind and meditate on them.  Praise Him in the morning, Praise Him in the evening, Praise Him all day long.  Our purpose this side of eternity is to be a humble servant, honoring and glorifying Him alone.  This life is not without consequence. To those who choose to live it apart from God there is a false peace they take comfort in and they do not believe a promise/warning from God that they will spend eternity in Hell, total separation from God.   To those who choose to be a humble servant honoring and glorifying God there is true purpose with peace now and promise of even greater things in His presence in eternity in heaven.