Hold My Hand

“For I the Lord thy God will hold thy right hand, saying unto thee, Fear not, I will help thee.”  Isaiah 41:3

I was walking by the side of the road holding the hand of my happy three-year old daughter.  She was quite content to hold my hand until she saw a car approaching.  As the car came closer, she began to tug at my hand in an attempt to run although the oncoming vehicle posed no threat.  I held on to her hand and explained that we were in no danger from the passing car and that I would never knowingly place her in harm’s way.

We continued down the street but my heart felt a little sad as I reflected on the incident.  How was it that she did not know that I would take care of her?  After all, I am her mother, I thought.

Sometimes in our walk with God we become fearful because of difficult circumstances and we forget Who is walking beside us. We react to what we see or feel instead of trusting God to take care of us.  Jesus said that He would never leave or forsake us.  What a wonderful promise.  He is there when we need Him and we can be secure knowing that He will never, ever let us go.

Prayer: Lord, help us to remember that You hold our hand, and will guide us always.

© Phillippa Brown

Like John

His arms

comforting

embracing

His touch

quietly soothing

and, like John

we lean

His eyes

loving

forgiving

His gaze

serene, compelling

and, like Peter

we surrender

His presence

holy

amazing

His glory

radiant, breathtaking

And, we, His Bride

worship

Jesus, Your love is better than wine. (Song of Solomon 1:2 KJV)

© Phillippa Brown

Impossibility Thinking

“Is anything too hard for the LORD….?”

Genesis 18:14

                                                                               

How many times, when faced with a difficult situation, have we muttered to ourselves, “This is impossible?” And we shoved whatever it was aside, hoping it would somehow resolve itself as there was absolutely nothing we could do to fix it.

Human efforts have their limitations. Jesus’ disciples confronted their limitations many times, even while the Master was with them. When a storm threatened their lives, they panicked and woke Jesus up, asking Him to help. When Jesus told them to feed the five thousand, they said, “We can’t.”  When a tearful father implored them to cure his demon-possessed son, they just stood by helplessly.

Jesus, Himself, acknowledged our limitations when He said, “The things which are impossible with men, are possible with God” (Luke 18:27 KJV). And therefore in Mark 11:22, He instructs us to, “Have faith in God” (KJV). God alone has unlimited power. Faith is absolute confidence in God’s ability and willingness to help us with our needs. Faith links our impossibilities and His omnipotence. Faith makes anything possible. 

Remember the disciples’ storm at sea? Jesus rebuked the raging of the wind and the waves. Remember the hungry crowd? Jesus fed five thousand people with only five small loaves of bread and two fishes. Remember the demon-possessed boy? Jesus cured him, much to the joy of his father.

When you have done all you can, and decided that something is impossible, think again. For all things impossible, only believe. Directing our faith toward God allows Him to help us and bring about solutions that ultimately bring Him glory. 

© 2012 Phillippa Brown

When We Cry....

TEARS

They hovered, tremulous

Suspended only for a moment

Waiting, questioning

Heavy with hurt

They fell, translucent

And I could see your heart

Bruised and broken

Shattered even

They spoke, eloquent

Of pain, and loss, and fear

Transparent, without shame

Craving understanding

They flowed, uncontrollable

Crystal rivulets curved

Turbulent, unstopping

Intense with passion

They subsided, spent

A story told, a faucet emptied

Your anguish eased

The past closed

 

They healed, miraculously

Restoring lucid hope

Tentatively revealing

Tomorrow's promise

And then you smiled.

IT’S HARVESTIME!

A colorful display of fruits and vegetables lined the steps of the old concrete building. The annual Harvest Festival of the Bethlehem Church signaled an exciting time for me. I looked forward to doing the once-a-year march up the church aisle with my friends; all of us carrying fruits picked from our very own backyards!

Clutching an over-sized bunch of grapefruits, I solemnly marched up the steps of the building, down the aisle, and then laid the grapefruits on the altar along with pineapples, bananas, breadfruit, coconuts, and a plethora of other fruits. One at a time, we all placed our gifts on the altar until it overflowed with fruitage.

After the ceremonial march ended, the concert began. One indispensable item was the solo rendition of “Reapers Are Needed”—a song highlighting the need for Christian workers. The same lady sang it every year. She did so with great gusto and upon reaching the line, “Rouse ye, O sleepers,” she would yell so loudly that I felt somehow I was the one asleep being woken up.

Apparently I was. Years later, I became aware of the call of the Lord to the ministry. The knowledge came slowly—almost imperceptibly. At 9 years old, I made a commitment to serve the Lord and at 12 years old found myself weeping in a service after a message on missions—to the amazement of my parents. I felt inescapably destined to work for God.

Those years of hearing “Reapers Are Needed” helped shape my life. Today, serving as a minister in my local church, I still appreciate its message. And I appreciate those times in the Harvest Festival where I came to realize that I could do more than bring in a harvest of grapefruits and pomegranates—I can bring in a harvest of souls.

I Got This

(I shared this before but felt directed to post it again as someone may need it.)

Susie (not her real name), a teenager in my local youth group, came to see me one day. As she poured out her story, it became clear that she needed a lot of help, but not the kind of help that we, as a church, could offer. When she finished her story, her eyes bored into mine, desperate for some sign of hope.

"What am I going to do, Phillippa?" she asked.

I had no answer. Days after the meeting, I was still thinking; trying to come up with some kind of solution to her dilemma. Nothing. I began to worry.

While standing next to the kitchen sink one evening, I suddenly felt the urge to pray. I went over to my bedside, knelt down and waited, sensing that the Lord was about to speak. I received the impression He wanted me to talk to Him about what was on my mind, so I expressed my concern about Susie.

Quietly and unmistakably, He said, "(her real name) is not your problem, she's Mine."

Completely taken off guard, I responded, "Oh."

Relief replaced surprise as I understood that He was saying, "I got this." (Actually, He's "got" everything and everyone that we bring to him in prayer, but sometimes we need a reminder.)

I watched Suzie's life turn around. I congratulated her as she happily graduated from college some years later. And I praised the amazing God who cares so deeply for all His children and knows us all by name.

Do not worry about those in your life that belong to the LORD. He is working all things out for their good. Hang in there, change is coming!

Blessings!




   

Who's Tired?

I was having one of those days. You know, those days when you realize that much of your attempts at doing things were unsuccessful and you have a long list of "Maybe I should've done this" or "Why didn't I do that?"  A sense of weariness with my life settled over me as I contemplated my failures. I felt that I could not be worth much to God. In frustration, I muttered, "Lord, aren't you tired of me?"

Initially, I had no idea where this was going, but His word came to me like a gentle whisper, "Hast thou not known? hast thou not heard, that the everlasting God, the LORD, the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary? there is no searching of his understanding."

What a great God we serve! He would never get weary of me. Instead, He would give me strength when I grew weary of myself.  "He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might he increaseth strength....they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint." (Isaiah 40:29-31)

We can be encouraged today. At times when the vicissitudes of life drain our emotional, spiritual, or physical energy, remember this: God is not tired of us. In fact, he is not tired at all. He has an abundance of strength, grace, and power. And as the song reminds us, "Out of his infinite riches in Jesus, he giveth, and giveth, and giveth again."