Just some early morning thoughts from me to you…
“So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”
Isaiah 41:10 (NIV)“When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you.”
Isaiah 43:2 (ESV)“We are hard-pressed on every side, yet not crushed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed—always carrying about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body.”
II Corinthians 4: 8-10 (NKJV)“Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.”
Matthew 11:28 (NLT)“Humble yourselves before the Lord, and He will lift you up in honor.”
James 4:10 (NLT)
The poem “Footprints in the Sand,” by Mary Stevenson, captures the thoughts which all of us have experienced at times.
Of a person looking back on scenes of her life reflected in walking along the beach with the Lord, with the promise of Christ that if she followed Him, Christ would always walk with her.
Looking back, she usually sees two sets of footprints—hers and the Lord’s—except during the most trying, difficult, despairing times of her life, when she only saw one set of footprints.
And she wondered where the Lord was during those times, asking of Him—
“You promised me Lord, that if I followed You, You would walk with me always. Why, when I needed you most, you have not been there for me?”
To which the Lord replied, “The times when you have seen only one set of footprints, is when I carried you.”
And there it is—the forever Truth—for the bottom line of our lives.
God cares. God is always there. God’s got us—you and me.
And God will raise us up, and carry us, when we need to be carried.
God’s goodness and God’s faithfulness remains, no matter what is going on in our lives, and no matter what is going on in the world around us.
God assuring each of us through Isaiah, as recorded in Isaiah 41:10—
“So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”
And also God sharing with you and to me, through the Apostle Paul, recorded in II Corinthians 4: 8-10—
“We are hard-pressed on every side, yet not crushed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed—
Always carrying about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body.”
In the beautiful anthem “You Raise Me Up” written by Rolf U. Lovland and Brendan Graham, we are further encouraged with these words—
“When I am down and, oh my soul, so weary.
When troubles come and my heart burdened be.
Then, I am still and wait here in the silence,
Until You come and sit awhile with me.
You raise me up, so I can stand on mountains.
You raise me up, to walk on stormy seas.
I am strong, when I am on Your shoulders.
You raise me up to more than I can be…”
There will be those moments when we find ourselves struggling, unsure, wondering what’s next.
Lost, alone, needing a hand of comfort raising us up to the sunshine of a new day.
Raising us up to the hope within all the days before us, with our God.
At those times, we need to remember the goodness and faithfulness of God.
God, Who is always there.
God, Who will raise you up. God, Who will raise me up.
Always.
In His Name–Scott
Be blessed by Martin Hurkens, former baker of 35 years, winner of “Holland’s Got Talent,” then opera singer, sharing the gift of his voice and passion to a gathering crowd on the cobblestone streets at a downtown intersection in Maastricht, Netherlands, as he sings “You Raise Me Up.”
