So many times the presence of God has sustained me in times of pain, lack of sleep, and more. Being in the presence of God is a place that many times I do not want to leave, but he calls me to share his love with people from many countries living in my city.
There are times that his presence is a taste of heaven and I admit I long to be there, but he has work for me to do in this life first. In his presence there is healing for our souls and spirits. In his presence there is wisdom given, encouragement and reassurance. In his presence is the most beautiful place to be.
Isaiah 6:8- Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?”
And I said, “Here am I. Send me!”
The call of God is ongoing as he searches for willing souls to go to tell others about Jesus and share the love of Jesus. First Isaiah heard the call, then he responded with Here I am Send Me.
I love the song Send Me by Jenn Johnson. It brings to mind for me the times God has shown me people that he wanted me to reach out to.
My favorite song is My Prayer For You by Alisa Turner. She has suffered terribly from Lyme Disease for years. While she was doing better, she recorded her album Miracle or Not that my favorite song is on. It is the only CD I play in my car. There have been times that I repeatedly play My Prayer for You on days that are rougher for me living with chronic illness.
I first heard My Prayer for You after I was diagnosed with Celiacs and had to deal with all that included. No offense intended to anyone with Celiacs, but for me it has paled in comparison to Psoriatic Arthritis. When asked by a doctor about my pain levels, I always answer something like- a 5 to 6 on a good day. Then if asked how many good days I have, my answer is about half the time. That means at least half of my life is spent with days that pain ranges anywhere from a 7 to 9. I also have those days that it is a full blown ten.
That is why My Prayer For You is playing so much in my car, The lyrics, written by someone who suffers from a chronic illness, speak to me. Lyrics like:
For anyone who’s prayed a thousand prayers And still can’t find the answer anywhere Fighting off the lie that no one cares For anyone who’s out there losing hope Feeling you’re forsaken and alone Clinging to the last strands of your rope
May God give you eyes to see, He’s still greater Courage to rise and believe He’s able May God be your peace in the fire you’re walking through This is my prayer now This is my prayer for you
So when I saw her post about her need for medical treatments and her current struggles, it hit home for me. Please pray for her. After watching her video about needing medical treatments, watch My Prayer For You. You will be glad you did.
Even though there are difficulties in this life, we still have reason to celebrate because God is on the throne. Jesus is on his throne in heaven and his resurrection has guaranteed a place in heaven for us. In Isaiah 61:3 we read:
and provide for those who grieve in Zion— to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of joy instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the Lord for the display of his splendor.
The context is about the Messiah, Jesus, bringing salvation and restoring us to what God has created us for, which is eternal relationship with him.
So while yes in this life we have problems, difficulties, sickness, we can take heart because of Jesus and our eternal destiny as Jesus said in John 16:33″
“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”
It is good for us to celebrate that truth. I love this video by We The Kingdom because it shows God’s people celebrating in his presence. We can have the garment of praise instead of despair because of Jesus.
John 14:27-“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do no be afraid.”
The peace that only Jesus can give is peace in our souls, hearts, and minds no matter what our circumstances are in life. Jesus does not give a temporary peace like the world does. He does not give it and take it away like the world does. The peace Jesus gives is eternally secure in him.
Any difficulty we experience in this life, we can know that Jesus will be with us every step of the way.
Anna Golden is a new to me Christian singer who has a powerful voice. In Rushing In she sings with one of my all time favs Tasha Cobbs. The combination of two powerful voices is wonderful. The message of the song is powerful.
There are times that the presence of Jesus, the presence of the Holy Spirit comes rushing in. Moments that leave no doubt God has come swooping into our lives to bring about a change.
God is always with us. Jesus promised us that He is always with us. But there are those moments we experience it so deeply that the impact is lasting.
The past few weeks have been a rough stretch. As I have shared before, I am not sure if my job will allow me to keep my health insurance and even worse my van died, so I need a different vehicle, Due to being a tentmaking missionary, money is always a concern. I get the term tentmaking from the fact that Paul made tents for a living as he traveled on his missionary journeys. So I teach part-time for two schools and have a support check from my church each month that helps.
However, every year I have medical expenses due to living with chronic illnesses, psoriatic arthritis, fibromyalgia, celiacs, and hypothyroid. Last Wednesday, my rheumatologist upped my dose of methotrexate to the maximum dose.
I made a Go Fund Me and am thankful for the $515 donated so far. Yesterday in church we sang Waymaker during worship. Before worship service began, a friend came up to me and gave me $100. So I have $615 towards a different vehicle.
This week I will find out if I got the position I interviewed for Friday, thus keeping my benefits. I am praying for more donations to come in.
Take me to the place where your peace and you love overflows Where my heart is set free from all shame and guilt Chains are undone Take me there Take me there
Being in the presence of Jesus is being in a place of peace, healing, and love. In the presence of Jesus we can be freed from what chains us in life.
If we are tired in life, overwhelmed, confused, of feeling hopeless, in the presence of Jesus we can be freed. We can be refreshed.
I love this song by Anna Golden and wanted to share it. May it bless the start of your week.
Life can change so suddenly, but God never changes. When we experience struggles in life, we can look to God knowing that he is still God.
That is not a cliche for me. I have had many unexpected twists and turns in life, health problems, financial problems, etc. But through it all God is still God and he has shown that to me time and time again.
Though the mountains may be moved into the sea Though the ground beneath might crumble and give way I can hear my Father singing over me “It’s gonna be ok, it’s gonna be ok”
Our Father in heaven is constantly out for us. He comes to us and says do not fear I am with you. Jesus says to us do not be afraid I am with you.
No matter what we face in this life, we can rest assured that God is with us. He will be with us for all of eternity. There is no beginning nor end to our eternal God. Everything in this life is temporary but God is eternal and will never leave us.
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