Stay Sane

Fun: Accepting God’s Invitation to Life’s Adventure

Devotionals, Stay SaneMarch 1, 2018June 28, 2019

God carries us through times of sorrow, teaching us to live and love with abandon. We can trust God’s invitation to have fun and enjoy life’s adventure.

People have fun in lots of different ways. Go out to dinner, watch a movie, dance, play sports, hang-out with friends. Immersing yourself in hobbies is a great way to relax and unwind. I have been giving this a lot of thought recently.

Confessions…

I have a few confessions to make.

Here is the first: I am too serious. It’s not like I don’t laugh or smile, I do, but I take my life very seriously. I make lists, plans, prepare, and predict. When I was a young girl I would literally plan out conversations. I plan out each step of my day. As a student I would write out my plan for studying before I could begin to study. When we go on vacation I plan out itineraries weeks before we leave.

Confession number two: The thing I pride myself on, isn’t exactly true. Being intelligent has always been an important descriptor to how I see myself. My husband lovingly says I’m the smartest one in the room and it secretly fills me with bubbling joy quickly followed by a deep shame. Because it’s not true. I have a learning disability that makes organization and logical thinking difficult. To combat this I have pushed myself to the opposite extreme.

Finally, my most secret confession: I stopped believing in fun. I have focused my life on striving to find the best. Sometime around the age of twenty or so this seems to have taken a decidedly down hill turn. I decided on being a teacher and gave up my childish dream of being an actress on Broadway. Being a grown up took precedence in my life. When I became a mother I felt the weight of responsibility. A few years later I had my first brush with death, and mortality became a very real entity. Later in my early thirties the greatest tragedy in my life occurred – the death of my son. I lost joy.

By the time I was thirty-five, there was no fun left in my life.

Abandon

But God has a way of changing the story. He surely changed mine. We moved to a town where I knew no one. Our families lived hundreds of miles away. I had no job. What I did have was my husband and my daughter. We spent all of our time together that first year. I did eventually find a job, we met friends through my daughters soccer team, and we all learned to laugh more and have fun when our son was born.

Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.

Romans 12:12, NIV

God quite clearly reminded us to laugh and love with abandon. I remember one day when our baby was about 14 months old, the weather turned warm, the trees were in bloom and we spent a whole day out in the backyard. It was beautiful. We had a picnic that included his first popsicle. He drove his tractor, ran around naked, laughed like a loon, and took the sweetest nap curled up next to me while I read. It was the first thing I hadn’t “planned” in a long time.

Control

I wish this was such an awe inspiring moment that I realized my control issues were getting in the way of God living in my life…it wasn’t.

Over the next few years I kept asking God to help me put “fun” back into my life. There were more of these moments, but I never seemed to be able to catch hold of the string, and it kept flying out of my hand just as I would get my fingers around it.

During this time I started listening to a lot more Christian music and found Newsboys. Their song “Live with Abandon” has become an anthem in my life. Let go of the plans and live the life God has made for you. He wants you to have fun, live life to its fullest, and trust in Him. He has the plan.

“I wanna live with abandon
Give you all that I am
Every part of my heart Jesus
I place in your hands
I wanna live with abandon”

Trust

Over the last year I have found myself more trusting in this plan and more willing to give up control to God. I can’t really tell you why this has happened. We moved again, but this time to a town where we had some friends and family closer. My daughter is now grown up and off at college. I had to find a new job – one that was very difficult to begin with. My son has had a hard time adjusting, but finally seems to be settling in.

All this is to say that my life is ordinary…nothing that many other people haven’t dealt with. The one thing that has changed in the past year has been prayer. I am a much more faithful friend to my God. I talk to him everyday. Usually I write those prayers down, but not always. I also try to listen to Him. “What do you want me to do?,” and then I feel a pull, encounter a situation, or hear His words through someone else. His answers are there. I still plan my day, I know what is happening tomorrow and next week, but I have made some room for revision. I have made some room for an old relationship that needed some tending to.

Fun

Now, I am having fun for the first time…maybe in forever. I laugh more with my family, my students, my friends. I see the world brighter and clearer than I ever have before. My sense of optimism and redemption has opened up. Fear and anxiety have lessened. Life is calling me and I am excited to accept its invitation because I know it comes from my Father in heaven. Join me in the fun adventures God has planned for us.

“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”

Dear God,

Thank you for being my Creator. You have brought joy and purpose in my life. Help me live with abandon for You. Keep my feet on the path that follows Your plan. I know wonderful adventures await me if I will allow myself to trust in You completely. Thank you for guiding me. Continue to show me Your way forward through this life’s twists and turns. My greatest desire is to join You in the next life.

Love,

How has God changed your story?

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Luca Upper

Known: To Be Known By, and To Know the Unknowable God

Devotionals, Stay SaneFebruary 27, 2018February 14, 2020

Because he has set his love upon Me, therefore I will deliver him; I will set him on high, because he has known My name.

Psalms 91:14, NKJV

Like my father before me, I struggle with SAD – Seasonal Affective Disorder. We SAD folks need sunshine, LOTS of sunshine. Living in a city that is cloudy 56-57% of the time during the months of January and February only serves to exacerbate SADness. Beginning after Christmas, a quiet inner battle for emotional peace and a deep yearning for Spring begins in my soul.

Brennan Manning stated in Reflections for Ragamuffins, “Perhaps this is the essence of trust: to be convinced of the reliability of God.” During some of my darker days, I wonder where my trust in God has gone. Do I know Him as I claim I do? Am I an impostor? It’s usually a fleeting thing, like briefly wondering how different life would have been if I had done a, b, or c. You’ve been there.

And those who know Your name will put their trust in You; For You, Lord, have not forsaken those who seek You.

Psalms 9:10, NKJV

Unknowable

Yet, for all the years of knowing God, pursuing God, longing for His presence, I am becoming acutely aware of how little I know Him. It’s so easy to fall into a trap of believing that the length of days one has been a Christian or been a faithful servant of Christ equal a depth of knowledge and wisdom said person has of the Savior. Even suffering doesn’t necessarily promise that God will be your new BFF, although it can certainly result in a closer walk with Him.

In the early years of our marriage, my husband and I had a pastor whom we secretly believed had the ‘red phone’ to God! I mean, he was so knowledgeable about the Bible and God; his sermons were so powerful…but then, well…the higher the pedestal the farther they fall, right?

People sit in churches every Sunday professing to know God but make a plethora of excuses for why they don’t have any other time to spend with Him. Christian authors, actors, small business owners, millennials, baby boomers from every denomination have something to say about knowing Him. It sometimes looks very different from what you or I think it looks like…

It often looks very different from what the gospel says knowing God looks like, too.

Unfortunately, one cause is due to thinking of knowing as in, “Oh yeah, I know her; she’s in my exercise class!” Or, “Sure, I know astrology! I look through my telescope at the stars sometimes.” This knowing is as in perceiving or understanding as fact or truth; to apprehend clearly and with certainty; to be acquainted with, according to Dictionary.com. We can give a head nod to many things in life to which, or to whom, we are acquainted…even God the Father. You know, the “man upstairs.” (Cringe)

Known

But how many people do we know as in “yada“:

The idea of “knowing” in Ancient Hebrew thought is similar to our understanding of knowing but is more personal and intimate. We may say that we “know” someone but simply mean we “know” of his or her existence, but in Hebrew thought, one can only “know” someone if they have a personal and intimate relationship with them. In Genesis 18:19 Elohiym says about Abraham, “I know him” meaning he has a very close relationship with Abraham. In Genesis 4:1 it says that Adam “knew Eve his wife” implying a very intimate relationship. (Strong’s #3045)

Who knows you like that? People who can complete your sentences, but don’t. Or who read your emotional cues and know what to do…

Anyone?

Your Father does. And the incredibly amazing, unfathomable truth is He wants us to intimately know Him, too.

Scripture tells us that God’s greatness is unsearchable, beyond our understanding (Psalms 145:3). His understanding is infinite – we cannot comprehend it (Psalms 147:5)! Paul sounds forth praises exclaiming:

Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and how inscrutable His ways!

Romans 11:33, ESV

Know

Who can know a God like that? Ancient Greek philosophers and believers in Deism wondered, too, referring to God as the “unmoved mover” or a “clockmaker god,” merely setting things in motion, but never getting personal. It seems absurd, but then I wonder sometimes if we don’t live out what they wrote about.

However, throughout the Old Testament, the Father repeatedly calls Israel into an intimate relationship with Him. Among many other things, God goes so far as to make the prophet Hosea’s life a word picture of His abundant love and mercy, then promises that HE will heal their backsliding ways (Hosea 14:4).

Who can fathom that? Can you wrap your mind around that??

I can’t…but I don’t think I’m expected to fully comprehend, really. I know the love and mercy my Father has shown to me. With that in my heart, I run to the throne room. I run into His arms, believing Him when He said,

I will betroth you to Me forever; Yes I will betroth you to Me in righteousness and justice, In lovingkindness and mercy; I will betroth you to Me in faithfulness, and you shall know the Lord.

Hosea 2:19-20, ESV

And on the days I struggle, He holds me.

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Tragedy: Standing Firm through Grief and Suffering

Devotionals, Stay SaneFebruary 25, 2018June 28, 2019

Tragedy leaves us overcome with grief. How can we keep standing, praising, and trusting? Is God even there? Does He even listen to our cries?

There was another school shooting. It rocks me to my core every time I hear about children in school not being safe. As a teacher, and mother, I know that this is my worst nightmare.

I remember Columbine. God has had miracles come from that tragedy. At one school where I taught, we took part in Rachel’s Challenge.

I have this theory that if one person can go out of their way to show compassion, then it will start a chain reaction of the same. People will never know how far a little kindness can go.

Rachel Scott, victim of Columbine High School massacre

Her family loved her and remembers her by trying to stop people from being left out, bullied or ostracized in the hopes that they never feel the need to pick up a gun and kill.

I remember Virginia Tech. There are now much better warning systems on all college campuses to alert students to danger. And as the mother of a college student I am grateful for that.

I remember Sandy Hook. There are not enough tears to cry for that senseless act. The babies that died that day and the adults who shielded as many as they could will forever haunt my dreams. But that community came together and supported each other in such amazing ways.

Now I have to say I remember Parkland, Florida.

So where is God in the middle of all this madness? Does he really want his children to suffer? He has to be here somewhere. He has to have a hand in this somehow. After all, He promised he would never abandon us. We cry out, “BUT WHERE IS HE?”

Grief and Praise

In times like this I return to Job. Everything was taken from him within a few moments. His servants and sons dead. His livestock stolen or killed. And what does Job do…he grieves and praises God.

When Job heard this, he got up, tore his clothes and shaved his head to show his sadness. Then he fell to the ground to bow down before God and said, ‘When I was born into this world, I was naked and had nothing. When I die and leave this world, I will be naked and have nothing. The Lord gives, and the Lord takes away. Praise the name of the Lord!

Job 1:20-21, ERV

Horrible things happen. God doesn’t always intercede. I can’t tell you why. I just know that there is never a moment when He isn’t with us.

Standing Through Tragedy

As the story of Job continues we see that Satan is telling God that humans will not stand with him when tragedy strikes. They will turn their backs and blasphemy His name. But God has faith in his children and tells Satan to do his worst, but to spare Job’s life.

Satan put sores all over poor Job, he was grieving, he was in physical pain, he sat in ashes and used broken pottery to scratch at the sores. But his friends came and sat with him to offer comfort.

Then they sat on the ground with Job for seven days and seven nights. They didn’t say a word, because they saw he was in so much pain.

Job 2:13, ERV

Job does cry out eventually. He begs God to end his torment and let him die. He questions God, “Why was I even born if this is what You had planned for me?”

How many times have we done that? Questioned our Creator? I fully admit to asking him “Why?” and being angry when I didn’t get an answer.

Are You There God?

Most of Job’s friends and family weren’t much better. His wife tells him to curse God. His friends say he has to have been up to no good. They thought, “God is paying you back.”

Not true. God is there in the tragedy holding our hands, lifting us up if we let Him, but never pushing us down. He can use these times, just like He did with Job to show us how He is always there. We must trust in Him to see us through.

Job is blessed to have a great friend who will speak truth to him and who loves God wholeheartedly. Elihu tells Job, you are not innocent, no one is. But he tells the friends they can’t accuse someone of something when they have no knowledge of it. They cannot blame God.

Job, God is not only powerful, but he is fair.

Job 34:17, ERV

He does not respect leaders more than other people. And he does not respect the rich more than the poor. God made everyone. Any of us can die suddenly, in the middle of the night. Anyone can get sick and pass away.

Job 34:19-20, ERV

The Answer to Every Question

God, Himself, then enters the picture. He reminds Job that He is the creator. He has made everything, and everything exists because of God. God then tells the story of Leviathan in Job 41. If we see Leviathan as Satan we can see that God is telling us that only He can control Satan. He is a deadly enemy and we must arm ourselves with God and His Word. Only with His help can we escape the clutches of Satan.

Job and his friends repent and pray to God. God forgives them.

When these moments of tragedy happen we can’t rage against God or blame Him. God loves us. He is our Father and Creator. Find a friend who can help you seek truth and God. We all know that evil exists. Bad stuff happens, but faithfully accepting that our Father is there in the tragedy will help ease the suffering.

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Facing God’s Truth

Now here is the hard part about tragedy. We have to acknowledge if we played a part in it. This could be a blind eye that was turned, a cultural norm that goes against God that we have let slip by, a friend we weren’t true to, or a warning we ignored. Yes, there are times we didn’t play a part, but just as often we are complicit because we let society dictate its own mores. Humans are weak and flawed. God is not. We have to be the friend who stands up and tells the truth, no matter the consequences because we know that God speaks through truth.

Dear God,

Please open our eyes to Your Word. Help us align ourselves with You and put more faith in You than in the world. Let us be leaders of the Light of truth that comes from being Your followers. Thank You for guiding us through tragedy and never leaving our side. Give us the courage and wisdom to speak Your will.

Love,

Are you facing your own tragedy?

We would love to offer our support by praying with and for you.

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Beloved: We are Pursued Even Through Darkness

Devotionals, Stay SaneFebruary 22, 2018September 8, 2019

We all have dark times of our lives where we think we are hidden from God. Times we want to be hidden from God. Yet, we are His beloved. We are recklessly pursued through any darkness. Our Creator fights for us.

Psalm 139 was the very first passage of scripture I ever memorized and not out of intention. Through Psalm 139, I learned a little something about God. He prepares our hearts with words He knows our lives will need. It’s as though while He was knitting us together, He weaved scripture throughout our entire beings. This passage has followed me through my whole life, without me ever forcing it. That can only be God.

For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb.

Psalm 139:13, NIV

Beloved Book

My beloved book. My most favorite book as a little girl. I knew I still had it. I’ve moved between 9 and 10 times in my adult life. I knew I kept this book. So, here I am, destroying my house to find it. I can picture the items packed along with it. I can see the box. The garage? The boys’ room? Under the beds? Mass destruction in my home, so I can find my beloved book.

I picture what it looks like, what the years have done to it. I remember specific pages and what they say. My book. Voiced by my parents. Hidden in my heart during scary times at night. I think of the countless times I read it to my stuffed animals and my brothers. Over and over, I chose this book. To the point the covers went missing; the pages are waring and fading.

Darkness

Out of the nest; on my own. I would describe my first flight as dark and broken. Shadows pursued and preyed on me; sensing I was without my “knitting”. A second flight came. Unfortunately, it was even darker. Full of pain that still likes to haunt me. I would describe that second flight as a void. Lonely, empty, without.

February is almost gone. It used to be, I couldn’t wait for this month to end. February has been a brutal month in past years. It seems like everything I considered to be ugly in my life, has fallen in this month. Though I don’t remember specific dates, the conglomeration of events left me dreading the feelings of February.

Most of these events stemmed from my separation from God; from my rejection for my “knitting”. Though I never denied His existence, I didn’t invite Him to dwell either. I stopped pursuing Him. Surely, He didn’t see me hidden in the mess. I was ashamed, broken, depressed. I actually thought if I didn’t pursue Him, He wouldn’t pursue me.

Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence?

Psalm 139:7, NIV

Beloved Words

I did not give up. I even dreamed about where my book could be. The attic! I have an attic; poorly lit, extremely hot or cold depending on the month, and an undesirable area of our home. There it was. Nestled with the books I imagined; in the box it has always been in. I fought through the mess, the uninhabitable parts of my home and found my beloved book!

God Is With Me -Debby Anderson; Based on Psalm 139

While I was searching, I could picture two of the pages. These were the pages that my little mind needed most. The pictures helped remind me no matter what, God is there. They brought comfort when my imagination got out of control and helped me remember to not be scared. The words were simple to grasp. I learned to rely on these words. “He is with me.” I tucked them deep in my heart. My treasure.

God Pursued

I am a treasure to God. I’m His beloved. I was the one lamb, lost from the ninety-nine and pursued by the Good Shepherd. Like my book, I was worn, faded, hiding in invisible covers. And, like my book, my world was torn apart so I could be found. The weaving never unravelled, it only tightened the more I was pursued.

In my darkness, God fought for me. He battled in the mess I thought I was hiding in. He never forgot about me, never left me alone, never gave up. I was (am) His. I can picture Him, bleeding from the briars that grew on my heart, pierced with the sins I gave power to, bruised by the hatred I had for myself. Yet, He prevailed. I tried to hide in the depths. I swam in shame and brokenness. Yet, God prevailed. He was there. Through divorce, medical rooms, abandonment, depression, alcohol… the list is longer still…. He was there. He never stopped fighting for my existence, my life, my heart. God fiercely pursued.

The Lord is with us, wherever we are.

This beautiful watercolor, painted by Katie Braswell, is available as a digital download in the Oh Lord Help Us Shop.
It will remind you of God’s ever present comfort.

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Want: Seeking A Good God Rather Than His Good Gifts

Devotionals, Stay SaneFebruary 20, 2018July 30, 2019

God is a good God who gives good gifts. But let us not fall for the temptation to want those gifts more than we want the Giver.

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.

Matthew 5:6, ESV

Have you ever wanted something so desperately you were willing to pay any price?

Want

In 10^th century BC, the Queen of Sheba caught wind of a very wise king. She had heard rumors about Solomon, and the God he received his wisdom from. Seeking truth, she traveled approximately 1,600 miles to Solomon’s kingdom in Jerusalem, though she had no invitation. Her entrance to the city was flashy, maybe like Aladdin’s when he went to Agrabah as Prince Ali.

Solomon received her and answered all of her questions. Once she realized Solomon’s God had indeed blessed him with profound wisdom, she picked his brain on how to better govern her own country. She brought a staggering amount of wealth to trade for the wisdom she hoped to discover. Upon her departure, she gave Solomon a ton of spices, precious stones, and approximately 192 million dollars in gold.

For wisdom is far more valuable than rubies. Nothing you desire can compare with it.

Proverbs 8:11, NLT

The queen did not appear to need anything. She had great wealth and a kingdom of her own. Leaving the safety of her home to travel so far posed incredible risk. She could have sent envoys, but she wanted to see and hear for herself. Authentic truth was out there and she wanted it.

Seek

I can see myself in her. My kingdom is much smaller, my wealth pales in comparison; but I have everything I need and a lot of what I want. Still, I long for more. Some days I dream about packing up and heading to some place quiet and secluded. Not for the sake of escape; though I’ve been there before. No, simply for the purpose of seeking wisdom without the daily distractions.

The greatest adversary of love to God is not his enemies but his gifts. And the most deadly appetites are not for the poison of evil, but for the simple pleasures of earth. For when these replace an appetite for God himself, the idolatry is scarcely recognizable, and almost incurable.

John Piper, A Hunger for God

Matthew 12:42 tells us the Queen of Sheba traveled from the far ends of the earth to acquire the wisdom of Solomon, but we have something greater than Solomon. We have Jesus. A wise person can’t give you their wisdom. But by seeking Jesus, we can attain it.

In whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.

Colossians 2:3, ESV

Find

I’m compiling a list of all the good things that act as stunt men for God in my life. They aren’t inherently evil. Seeing them written out, they’re pretty vanilla. Achieving genuine transformation is not just acknowledging where the infraction is. Asking forgiveness is another important step; but the key to lasting change is to replace the love for the thing with a greater love for God. James 1:7 says every good gift is from God. How quickly we exchange our love for the Creator to love for His gifts!

Let your roots grow down into him, and let your lives be built on him. Then your faith will grow strong in the truth you were taught, and you will overflow with thankfulness.

Colossians 2:7, NLT

What good gifts in your life are stealing your affections for God?

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Safe: Have Peace, Even with Questions About the Unknown

Devotionals, Stay SaneFebruary 18, 2018January 13, 2019

I like to feel safe. Most people do, I believe. There are so many things that make us feel unsafe. Usually, though, it seems to boil down to the unknown. We don’t know what will happen, fear easily creeps in, and the comfort of safety disappears. How do we feel safe in a world of unknowns?

Not long ago, I read “The Hiding Place” by Corrie Ten Boom. She was a Christian who hid Jewish people during the Holocaust. The Nazi’s caught her, but she survived her time in a concentration camp. The book is her story, and she passes on great wisdom on finding safety.

While reading the second chapter, which spoke of memories from when she was a little girl some decades before Hitler rose to power, she mentioned one particular memory with her father. Her father, a clock and watch repairman, regularly took her on a train to Amsterdam. She enjoyed the time alone with her father, no siblings or extended relatives around.

She was about ten or eleven years old and after reading something in school she didn’t understand, she asked her father about it. What the question was, she didn’t say, but like most kids, she was curious about topics that were well beyond her years. Her question was a hard one, and the answer was equally difficult. The response Corrie’s father gave stayed with her through the rest of her life.

Her father took down his travel case and asked her to carry it off the train for him. When she tried but couldn’t, she told him it was too heavy for her as it was filled with watch parts and clock parts. Here are the following paragraphs.

“Yes,” he said. “And it would be a pretty poor father who would ask his little girl to carry such a load. It’s the same way, Corrie, with knowledge. Some knowledge is too heavy for children. When you are older and stronger you can bear it. For now you must trust me to carry it for you.”

And I was satisfied. More than satisfied–wonderfully at peace. There were answers to this and all my hard questions–for now I was content to leave them in my father’s keeping.

What a beautiful picture of a father’s love and protection of his daughter. She asked a question in which the answer was beyond her years, more than her young heart could bear. Her father knew that one day the knowledge she sought would be given, but he understood that the particular moment they were in was not the right time.

He explained she would know one day, but at this time, the answer would be too heavy. He asked her to trust him to carry the knowledge that was too much for her to carry on her own until she was strong enough to bear the weight when her maturity caught up with her curiosity. In her childlike wonder, with her innocence still intact, she was at peace leaving the answers to her hard questions safely in her father’s keeping.

God is a perfect Father to us. The glimpse we see in Corrie’s father is a mere reflection of the love and protection our heavenly Father bestows on us. He promises.

You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you.

Isaiah 26:3, ESV

Safe through the unknown…

In everything we want to know, yet remains unknown, God calls us to leave it in His keeping. It’s safe there. When we leave the unknown—whether knowledge sought, but not gained, or a promise that cannot be made, or a situation we don’t know how will play out—safely in our Father’s keeping, we find peace. Even when the unknown remains, we trust and know our Abba safely keeps it for us. Not only does our Father keep the unknown, He keeps us also.

The Lord is your keeper…The Lord will keep you from all evil; He will keep your life. The Lord will keep your going out and your coming in from this time forth and forevermore.

Psalm 121:5, 6-7, ESV

When we leave the unknown safely in our Father’s keeping, we find peace. Click To Tweet

God keeps us. Nothing in our lives is unknown to Him. He is not caught off guard or surprised by the circumstances we face, not even once. When we are drowning in questions for which we don’t know the answers, we know God holds us safely in His care, and He holds the unknown answers too. His timing in revealing what we don’t know is perfect as well. We find safety, even in the unknown, as we are kept in our Abba’s protection.

So just as Corrie was content to leave her hard questions with unknown answers safe in her father’s keeping, we contently leave our unknowns and even our very lives safe in our Father’s keeping. After all, there is no safer place to be kept than in the arms of our Father.

What do you need to leave safe in your Father’s keeping?

You are intimately known.

But if anyone loves God, he is known by God. 1 Corinthians 8:3, ESV

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Suhyeon Choi

Ask: Approaching the Throne in Prayer with Humility

Devotionals, Stay SaneFebruary 15, 2018January 13, 2019

We have the freedom to ask for all things. Let us approach prayer with humility, and receive the gifts provided.

For years, I could not ask the Lord for anything. Sure, there were many prayers, as in conversations, with the Lord. I would tell Him what was hurting my heart, and thank Him for blessings. The most I would ever ask for was peace, or patience. These were safe to pray for, the Bible promises that we will receive this. Promise? Sweet! I’ll ask for that! That way I’m sure to never deal with disappointment.

See, I had lived through disappointment. I was 24 when my mom died. We were finally getting to the sweet stage of life where we were becoming friends. My family said so many prayers, begging, and pleading. And it was looking like she was going to survive, only for our hopes to be left in a heap of shards.

I didn’t walk away from that experience doubting the existence of God. I could definitely see His hand on the whole situation. My faith was in Him, not the outcome of prayer. No, I walked away in definite awe of His power. It was that power, however, that left me not able to ask for anything. My thought was, since God is all-powerful, and He knows what is best, then why should I ask for anything. I’ll just go along for the ride. He will do what He needs to do, I’ll do what I need to do, and surely we will meet up at certain points along the way.

Years after that, living through experiences where I just couldn’t see what was taking Him so long to come through, I kinda just stopped talking. My prayer was simply to sit in His presence; neither one of us saying anything. Sure, there were moments when I was angry (actually, there were quite of few of those), but it was also comforting. I never doubted He was there. I never stopped loving Him, and I know His love never ceased for me.

This past 6 months has been like a crash course on prayer for me. I went from asking for nothing, to asking for everything! But let me tell you, it is a fine line between asking and demanding. I may have crossed it a time or two. Eek.

Humility to Ask

Yes, we are told to come boldly before for the throne, but if for a moment we believe we have a right to be there, we are deceived. Only after we acknowledge that we do not deserve to be there, and that it is by invitation we are there, may we ask with confidence. We can ask with confidence, not that we will get what we ask for, but confident that we have the freedom to ask because we have the invitation to do so.

…all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift…

Romans 3:23-24, ESV

When we can see ourselves as the sinful people we are, who do not deserve a single blessing, then we appreciate the gift of the invitation. In this posture, it is humbling to ask for anything.

Humility to Receive

After we ask, and make our request known, it also takes humility to receive the provision. How often do we long for others to help, only to refuse when the offer is given. It is nothing more than pride that causes us to behave in this ridiculous manner. We want to experience the generosity of others, but then do not accept the help because we want all the control.

Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

Hebrews 4:16, ESV

With humility, we are able to accept whatever answer is given. If our prayer was answered in the manner we hoped, then we know we cannot take credit for the outcome; God receives all the praise. If the answer was yes, but in a different way we thought, then we can see that God knew how to better accomplish His plan.

Some things to consider if the answer was “no”. First, we may need to simply trust that He is moving in a different direction, or on a different timeline. Or, secondly, it may be due to sin that we need to repent of. Please be careful here. Let us not act sorrowful in an attempt to manipulate God so that we receive the blessing. Trust me, this doesn’t work. I’ve tried. We must truly want God alone, not the blessings.

The Lord said to Joshua, “Get up! Why have you fallen on your face? Israel has sinned;

Joshua 7:10-11, ESV

Without humility, we come to the Lord with demands, not requests. We are not praying, “Lord your will be done.” We are demanding He follow our plans. We have placed ourselves on the throne, and this a dangerous place to be.

Final Thoughts

I am learning to ask. And when I ask, I ask for big things, because I have an invitation to do so. And when I ask, it is not a demand, but a genuine request.

“Lord, it is humbling to be invited into your presence. I don’t know if it’s part of your plan, but if it is, would you please…”

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jesse orrico

Lent: Focusing On the Lord Through Fasting, Prayer, and Service

Devotionals, Stay SaneFebruary 13, 2018June 28, 2019

During this season of Lent, let us focus on the Lord, and His truth. Through fasting, prayer, and service, we align our hearts with His.

Dear God,

Help me share Your good news with others. Let Your light be reflected in me, and through me to others. Give me the right words and stories to touch the hearts of those You know need it most. Help me make unexpected miracles for You.

Love,
me

This post started with the basic idea to write about Lent, and then I got lost in a sea of research about what Lent is and its history. I am really good at research, but I can easily go down a rabbit hole of questions and answers that lead to more questions. Next thing I know it’s been two days and I haven’t written the first word for this post.

So I stopped and centered myself with the opening prayer.

I started with the question…

What is Lent?

It is a high holy time in the life of the church that lasts 40 days (not counting Sundays). There are 3 major components to the days of Lent: fasting, prayer, and service. The Lenten season begins with Ash Wednesday and ends either the Thursday, Friday or Saturday before Easter (depending on the denomination). Mardi Gras, or “Fat Tuesday”, is the day before Lent begins. Historically, Christians used up their extra food, especially sugar, yeasted flour, and fruits that they had in their pantries in preparation for a time of fasting.

Fasting

Why fasting? Jesus gave His life for us. The ultimate sacrifice. We Christians try, through fasting, to pay homage to that sacrifice and acknowledge that we are all unworthy and fall short of the glory of God. During periods of fasting we should focus on this truth.

In the bible people fasted from food, but today many Christians give up something that they enjoy as a fast – technology, one kind of food or drink, secular music or something that they love to do for example. Last year, I didn’t give up anything, I added something – written prayer. Everyday during Lent and most days since, I have written my prayers down.

Prayer

Then my small group read Mark Batterson’s The Circle Maker. That study poured gasoline on the fire God had started burning in my heart, just a few months beforehand.

It has literally changed everything about my life. I am happier, more whole, and more in love with this life God has graced me with. God laid a road before me and all I had to do was walk it. No, it’s not always easy, but talking with God isn’t always hard either. I don’t like writing down my sins. That is a really hard thing to do, because you have to take responsibility for it when you write it down. On the other hand I always feel better once I lay my burdens down.

I also started writing my prayers every so often on Facebook – when the Spirit lead me. That simple act encouraged many of my family and friends, who in turn encouraged me. Then my friend Rachael, who started this wonderful blogging ministry, offered me the opportunity to write here on Oh Lord Help Us. I see all of these experiences as God’s hand working in and through my life right now. It is why I say I am having a love affair with my savior!

Service

So this year for Lent I want to take this love to the next level. Which brings me to the idea of service. I want to pray for you and with you. God has blessed me immeasurably this year. Let me share that with you and encourage you in your life.

Again I say unto you, that if two of you shall agree on Earth as touching anything that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father who is in heaven. For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.

Matthew 18:19-20

I am feeling led by God to work toward being a prayer warrior. If you have a burden to share or a shame to lay down and want someone to pray for you and with you, consider leaving a message in the new Prayer section. Also think about sharing your joys and triumphs so we can rejoice with you.

…rejoicing in hope; patient in tribulation; continuing steadfastly in prayer;

Romans 12:12

Finally…

There is a favor I want to ask of you. Pray for us at the blog. We could use your love and support as we reach others for God’s glory.

And we know that to them that love God all things work together for good, even to them that are called according to his purpose.

Romans 8:28

God’s guiding light is sure to shine through this Lent season.

All bible verses come from The American Standard Version.

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eberhard grossgasteiger

Grace: Forgiveness and Redemption is Available for Everyone

Devotionals, Stay SaneFebruary 11, 2018July 30, 2019

We are all sinful and in need of God’s radical grace. It is only His forgiveness and redemption is what brings true righteousness.

There are two enticing schools of thought Christians generally gravitate toward:

I am a sinner and need to be redeemed. (Yet still believes they’re basically good.)
My sin is too great. I don’t believe God could possibly forgive me.

Both are wrong.

Yahweh, if You considered sins, Lord, who could stand? But with You there is forgiveness, so that You may be revered.

Psalm 130:3-4, HCSB

Sinfulness

Several months ago, I read about a father and son duo in 2 Kings 20 and 21. The father, Hezekiah, got sick and was going to die, but he reminded God of how he had lived his life to please Him. In response to this, God granted Hezekiah 15 more years to live.

Three years into Hezekiah’s bonus 15, he had a son, Manasseh. He was an evil dude.

Manasseh also shed so much innocent blood that he filled Jerusalem with it from one end to another. This was in addition to his sin that he caused Judah to commit. Consequently, they did what was evil in the Lord’s sight.

2 Kings 21:16, HCSB

God spoke to Manasseh and his people, but they refused listen. Not only was Manasseh a mass murderer, he transformed the people he ruled over into a nation of sinners. As I read about this all I could think was: Man; if God hadn’t added years to Hezekiah’s life, Manasseh wouldn’t have been born and none of this horrific stuff would have happened. Be careful what you beg God for.

Forgiveness and Redemption

Fast forward to this past week when I read the 2 Chronicles account of Manasseh. I was shocked to find out that when Manasseh was captured by the Babylonians as Isaiah had prophesied, he humbled himself and repented to the Lord. But that wasn’t the thing that rattled me. God forgave him.

He prayed to Him, and God was moved by his entreaty and heard his plea and brought him again to Jerusalem into his kingdom. Then Manasseh knew that the Lord was God.

2 Chronicles 33:13, ESV

Wait; WHAT?!

Of course. God knew what would happen and He chose to fashion a story of redemption from the worst of the worst. But it feels too generous. Manasseh filled Jerusalem with innocent blood and turned a godly nation pagan. Then God not only forgave him, but restored him to his kingdom. It’s hard to reconcile that, because if I’m being honest, I don’t think my sin is that bad.

Radical Grace

Matthew 5 has been greatly instrumental in helping me understand the radical grace revealed in the story of Manasseh. It also shows that no one is good and God does not weigh sin as we do. Manasseh’s forgiveness seems undeserved. Yet Jesus told the multitude, hating someone is equal to murdering them, and lusting after someone is equal to committing adultery. Jesus Christ is the only good that ever existed in the world.

The actions of sin have different ramifications. If I hate another member of my church body, it is a transgression. Keeping the hate to myself would fester and rot my heart, and the ripple effect would slowly poison those around me. In contrast, if I had an affair, everyone would know about it and the result would be a tsunami of grief. However, both are evils that flow out of the heart and the penalty is separation from God.

Yet the Lord longs to be gracious to you; therefore He will rise up to show you compassion. For the Lord is a God of justice. Blessed are all who wait for Him!

Isaiah 30:18, NIV

True Righteousness

Over and over in scripture we see God knows our hearts. Outward morality puffs up and God wants none of that. Pointing a finger at someone whose sin is front page news gets the focus off of me and shrouds my pride. I may even feel the illusion of righteousness. Isaiah 64:6 immediately dispels that hogwash when our righteous deeds are called menstrual rags!

We are saved by grace. It is the gift of God. No human’s good deed or righteous act can produce salvation. Nor is there any sin the blood of Christ has not covered (1 Peter 3:18). That is why the gospel is such GOOD NEWS!

Seek the Lord while He may be found; call upon Him while He is near; let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; let him return to the Lord, that He may have compassion on him, and to our God, for He will abundantly pardon. For My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways My ways, declares the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways and My thoughts than your thoughts.

Isaiah 55:6-9, ESV

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Valeriy Andrushko

We are all sinful, having failed and fallen short.
Praise the Lord for redemption through Christ!

Fear: Brokenness Ultimately Leads to Living Fearlessly

Devotionals, Stay SaneFebruary 8, 2018June 27, 2019

Fear and rejection can leave us feeling paralyzed. But it is our brokenness that will ultimately lead to becoming fearless.

My earliest memory of fear occurred when I was a child of six. On a warm summer evening, my family went to the home of some good friends of my parents for dinner. All my brother and I cared about was that they had kids close to our age – two boys. (It seems none of my parent’s friends had girls, but that’s another story!) While the adults chatted after the meal, we children happily played outside on the swing-set laughing, yelling, and probably arguing. 😉 Suddenly, I felt something stinging my face; the pain was immediate and intense. Jumping off the swing, I ran screaming to my mother, who soothed me and quickly assessed I had at least two bee stings on my face. Her friend made a paste of baking soda and water to apply to the stings while I rested on mom’s lap.

Within several moments I was ready to return playing with our friends, but no words came out when I opened my mouth to speak. I tried once again, but to no avail. Panicked, I got mom’s attention and she realized my body was swelling. Things were moving quickly from there. Fear spread throughout the group as they were preparing to take me to the hospital. Fortunately for me, mom had recently read an article regarding deadly allergic reactions some people had to bees and that a new desensitization process was being offered by the medical community. That article saved my life.

Needless to say, despite several years of shots to alleviate my reaction to bees, I spent decades being deeply afraid of them. I’m blessed to say I’ve raised perennial flower beds for 15 years now.

The Lord is my light and my salvation; Whom shall I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life; Of whom shall I be afraid?

Psalm 27:1, NKJV

Fear: Rejection

In high school, I wanted to be popular…translated – liked/loved. As a result, I became a cheerleader, joined clubs, became editor of the newspaper, etc. Guess what? There were still people who didn’t like me. Shocker, I know. For reasons unknown, I can recall one particularly vicious phone call I received from a popular girl about something I didn’t do, but she thought I did. Even though I professed Jesus, I was looking for acceptance at the wrong addresses.

Listen to Me, you who know righteousness, You people in whose heart is My law: Do not fear the reproach of men, nor be afraid of their insults. For the moth will eat them up like a garment, and the worm will eat them like wool; But My righteousness will be forever, And My salvation from generation to generation.

Isaiah 51:7-8, NKJV

Fear: Paralyzed

When I was a young mother with a baby, my husband worked a swing shift. I didn’t like staying alone on the nights he had to work, but I spent most evenings at my parents’ until it was time to take my son home and put him to bed. But then one night while we all were out, our home was burglarized. My husband and I felt violated.

After that, fear blossomed like a sunflower in my chest. I heard every noise, real or imagined, in the house or the basement. Its embarrassing to remember the times I would call our neighbor over to check the house because I thought I had heard something. (He and his wife were very gracious!) This fear lasted so long it was making me physically ill – I was trying to stay awake all night, begging God to keep us safe. I was thinking of escape plans for my son and I should someone break in. It was difficult.

Fear: Delivered

During this time, I was working with first graders in Sunday School. One week we made a prayer wheel out of paper plates. For every need on one side of the wheel, there were Bible verses on the other side that applied to the need. “Coincidentally,” my husband worked nights that week, which I dreaded with a vengeance. In desperation, one night I pulled that children’s prayer wheel out and turned it to fear, looking up each verse. I told God I was so weary of living this way, and I knew that He didn’t want me to anymore. (He does say, “Fear not” 365 times in His Word!) From that night forward, the paralyzing fear left me. Has it attempted to return? Sure, but God has delivered me from the stronghold of fear each time.

I, even I, am He who comforts you. Who are you that you should be afraid of a man who will die, and of the son of a man who will be made like grass? And you forget the Lord your Maker, Who stretched out the heavens and laid the foundations of the earth; You have feared continually every day because of the fury of the oppressor, when he has prepared to destroy. And where is the fury of the oppressor?…But I am the Lord your God, Who divided the sea whose waves roared – the Lord of hosts is His name. And I have put My words in your mouth; I have covered you with the shadow of My hand…

Isaiah 51:12-16a, NKJV

Fear: Be Fearless

I believe we all battle with fear in one form or another. Otherwise, why did God mention it so often? Sometimes I wonder if our fear isn’t used by God to help bring about needed brokenness…because only out of brokenness comes fearlessness. And isn’t that what we really want – to be fearless? Even Paul asked the Ephesians to pray for this in him in Ephesians 6:16-20.

Louie Giglio said in a sermon at 2012 Passion, “Minimize your fears by maximizing your one fear and realizing this: I’m already chained to Jesus Christ. The only thing I’m afraid of is living an insignificant life.”

Amen.

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Luke Matthews

I was afraid, but God… loved me.

This is one of the truths you will learn in the study, but God…Where the Story Changes.

Confessions…

Abandon

Control

Trust

Fun

How has God changed your story?

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Unknowable

Known

Know

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Grief and Praise

Standing Through Tragedy

Are You There God?

The Answer to Every Question

Facing God’s Truth

Are you facing your own tragedy?

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Beloved Book

Darkness

Beloved Words

God Pursued

The Lord is with us, wherever we are.

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Want

Seek

Find

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Safe through the unknown…

You are intimately known.

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Humility to Ask

Humility to Receive

Final Thoughts

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What is Lent?

Fasting

Prayer

Service

Finally…

All bible verses come from The American Standard Version.

If you have found this inspiring, share the encouragement…

Sinfulness

Forgiveness and Redemption

Radical Grace

True Righteousness

If you have found this inspiring, share the encouragement…

We are all sinful, having failed and fallen short. Praise the Lord for redemption through Christ!

Fear: Rejection

Fear: Paralyzed

Fear: Delivered

Fear: Be Fearless

If you have found this inspiring, share the encouragement…

I was afraid, but God… loved me.

We are all sinful, having failed and fallen short.
Praise the Lord for redemption through Christ!