God Has Been Faithful

God Has Been Faithful

Today is May 29, and it’s my birthday.  I am blessed beyond measure and here is why.

I survived my childhood, what with all the falls and scrapes, blood and bruises, broken arm and dropped drum sticks. 

I wondered if I’d get into college, then I wondered if I’d graduate.  I did and God was faithful.

I feared of not having my first job out of college.  The call came and God was faithfully leading – to Orlando.

Issues came up, issues resolved themselves, I learned, I fumbled, I learned some more, and God was faithful.

I moved to Albuquerque after two years in Orlando.  I was fearful, I was excited, I went anyway.  I made some lifelong friend and had to leave them behind.  And God was faithful.

And then Seattle called.  I came.  I learned some more, I made lifelong friends, and God again proved himself faithful.

I made other moves – to Spartanburg SC, Anderson IN, back to Spartanburg, to Nashville, back to Spartanburg, to Dallas and finally back to Washington state.

God has been faithful. 

I met Carolyn in 2006.  We married and now, twelve years later, God is faithful.

I’ve bought eleven automobiles in my lifetime so far, and six houses (sold each one after I moved away).  In the middle of house payments, car payments, bill payments, groceries and all else that life demands, God has been faithful. 

I faced heart bypass surgery in December 2017.  The doctor said I had a 70% chance of surviving.  I am here, today, writing these words, and God IS faithful.

Lots of songs capture the essence of what I feel at this moment.

Here are two.

He's Been Faithful - Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir

To God Be the Glory - Andre Crouch

I am thankful to God for his faithfulness in all situations.

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God Spoke to Me Today

God Spoke to Me Today

God spoke to me today.  He came to me in a moment of doubt and confusion and said, “I am here.  Trust in Me with all your heart and soul and strength.”

And I did … and He came near.

God spoke to me today.  I didn’t feel on top of things in my physical body.  I heard Him say, “Come unto me, all who are weary, tired and carry heavy schedules.  I will give rest for your soul.”

I trusted Him … and He gave.

God spoke to me today.  I am facing some changes.  I’m going to make a move and I have fears about that.  I heard him say, “Be not afraid nor dismayed, for I your God will be with you wherever you go.”

I rested in that promise, and He was present.

God spoke to me today.  My plans have gone off the charts.  Nothing is working out in my life as I had hoped and wished.  I heard Him say, “It is a fact that I know the plans I have for you, plans for your welfare and not for harm.  For I see a bright future for you, and it is full of hope.”

I am trusting, and His presence is near.

If God were to speak in today’s language, perhaps we’d hear words and phrases like this:

   ~Hang in there.

      ~Sit tight.

         ~I’ve got this.

            ~I’ve got your back.

               ~I know and I care.

                  ~I will be with you through it all.

                     ~I want you to trust Me.

...And God is indeed speaking.

And so, we trust.

Thanks be to God!

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God Is Here

God Is Here

I’m in a restaurant with thirty-five other customers.  It’s a rainy Sunday morning.  I don’t know any others by name, I don’t know where they live or what they do for income. 

This I do know.  God knows them.  He knows everything about them, whether they go to church, pray, work, have a healthy heart, have aches and pains, make a lot of money or live at the poverty level.  HE KNOWS.

That is just about the greatest thing to contemplate on this Sunday. 

I also know He calls to each of them.  Oh, some probably don’t recognize the call of God yet.  Maybe they are distracted by the curly-headed little boy playing with his straw, or maybe the lady with a brace on her left wrist is too caught up in some residual pain from her carpel-tunnel issue.  But I believe God is speaking to each of them. 

And He knows and calls to you and to me, whoever you are and wherever you live. 

The Bible tells us: 

“The very hairs of your head are numbered.”

That is a pretty intimate thing to know about someone.  I don’t have that fact at my fingertips on Carolyn, nor she on me, however, God knows. 

He sees us as we lie down, when we take our meal, when we sit and think, when we are at our work and at our leisure.

God is what you call an observant God.

So, for today, wherever you go, take an occasional moment to say ‘Hi’, or ‘thank you’, or ask for whatever is a need in your life.

He really does know you, and He cares oh so much.

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