Charisa Stories

Tag: trust god

  • So You Think You are Strong Enough to Handle Anything? Think Again.

    After listening to a few minutes of depressing news I needed a little soul nourishment. Rich Mullins is one of my go to songwriters for that need. The first song that played was very timely in this season of uncertainty.  “We Are Not As Strong As We Think We Are” shows how our relationships can be fragile in the best of times.

    Well, it took the hand of God Almighty
    To part the waters of the sea
    But it only took one little lie
    To separate you and me
    Oh, we are not as strong as we think we are.

    If only we could acknowledge that we are not as strong as we think we are and then live accordingly I believe we would see an amazing difference. 

    I need God and the community of believers to be spiritually and emotionally healthy. Yet pride often tells me that I am able to handle the situation. Fear tells me that revealing the needs of my heart will only make things worse. So one little lie or misunderstanding dealt with in my own strength negates the strength of a God who could part the waters of the seas. I choose my incapable power over the One who could heal my pain if only I would let Him.

    We try ignore or bury the internal toxins of relational hurt, misunderstandings, accusations, and fear. We seal those emotional and spiritual poisons up hoping it will somehow be okay. But the toxins in our heart have not been removed, only compartmentalized. The pain continues to grow, slowly and inexorably. Finally the pressure builds to the point of explosion. There is a better way.

    Paul described that better way to the Colossians.

    Since God chose you to be the holy people he loves, you must clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. Make allowance for each other’s faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others. Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds us all together in perfect harmony. And let the peace that comes from Christ rule in your hearts. For as members of one body you are called to live in peace. And always be thankful. 

    (Colossians 3:12-15, NLT)

    Sometimes I dream that the body of Christ would commit to spend 30 days living and breathing just those four verses. What would that look like? How much healing would happen? I think four verses could spark revival.

    But we pull back and try to go it alone. Even if we attempt to walk in community we are too afraid or proud to share our needs. Rich Mullins was exactly right. We are not as strong as we think we are. Especially in this weird social media environment we need each other more than ever. So I am going to encourage you to reach out before you lash out. Ask for healing before you hurt yourself and others. 

    And if you find yourself in a decent place right now ask God to show you someone that you can reach out to and love. Call them. Text them. Ask how they are doing. God is serious about how we communicate about others in the flock. Peter writes:

    Be agreeable, be sympathetic, be loving, be compassionate, be humble. That goes for all of you, no exceptions. No retaliation. No sharp-tongued sarcasm. Instead, bless—that’s your job, to bless. You’ll be a blessing and also get a blessing. (1 Peter 3:8-9, The Message)

    Rich Mullin’s wrote that weakness is not a sin. Failing to acknowledge our need for God’s strength is the sin.

    We are frail
    We are fearfully and wonderfully made
    Forged in the fires of human passion
    Choking on the fumes of selfish rage
    And with these our hells and our heavens
    So few inches apart
    We must be awfully small
    And not as strong as we think we are.

    No, we are not as strong as we think we are. We need to acknowledge that He is God and we are not.

    He will hold you in your fear and anxiety. We need to leave our pride at the foot of the Cross and depend on His grace and strength. And we need to not kid ourselves about this simple truth. We are not as strong as we THINK we are. We need Jesus. We need each other.

  • Worrying Might Be Worthless Way More Than You Think

    I see a lot of worried people around me. Worried about the political season. Worried about the national division. Worried about international tensions. Worried about all kinds of things. But this old proverb rings true today.

    “Worry is like a rocking chair. It gives you something to do but it doesn’t get you anywhere.”

    As I get older I experience more and more how practical Scripture is for daily living. In the teaching of my youth the Bible was a book of lofty and seemingly impossible demands to behave in a way that would please God. Now I see that the Bible is a love story where Jesus met those impossible demands on my behalf. I see now that my simple faith and trust pleases God. And I see a practical book that shows me how to find joy during this temporary journey on earth. Our Designer knew when we left the factory that worry is destructive. Listen to what Jesus said a couple of millenia ago.

    “That is why I tell you not to worry about everyday life—whether you have enough food and drink, or enough clothes to wear. Isn’t life more than food, and your body more than clothing? Look at the birds. They don’t plant or harvest or store food in barns, for your heavenly Father feeds them. And aren’t you far more valuable to him than they are? Can all your worries add a single moment to your life?” (Matthew 6:25-27, NLT)

    Jesus continues in the same message.

    “So don’t worry about these things, saying, ‘What will we eat? What will we drink? What will we wear?’ These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers, but your heavenly Father already knows all your needs. Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need. So don’t worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries. Today’s trouble is enough for today.” (Matthew, 6:31-34)

    God knew something else. Most of what we consume ourselves with never happens or is not worth getting anxious about. Modern research verifies ancient wisdom.

    A research study examined how many times an imagined calamity actually came to pass. In this study, subjects were asked to write down their worries over an extended period of time and then identify which of their imagined misfortunes did not actually happen.

    The remarkable results came back that 85 percent of what subjects worried about never happened! Slow down and digest that. Eighty-five percent of what we work ourselves into varied states of frenzy about never even happens. And here is the even more remarkable finding. For the 15 percent of the worry agenda that did happen, nearly 80 percent of the respondents reported they were able to deal with the concern better than expected or they learned a valuable lesson from the event. So 97 percent of what the majority of this study group worried about was not worth wasting the energy, faith and time.

    Worry is exactly where the Enemy wants to keep the children of God. Living in fear of the future cheats you out of today. A precious moment tugs on your heart like a child at your sleeve. Too often you miss that moment concerning yourself with something that likely won’t happen or will happen in a way that your worry can not change.

    For those of you who struggle with worry maybe it helps to remember that your Heavenly Father is always on the job. Worry is not an attribute of our God. I suspect that it grieves His heart that we are paralyzed with worry when our Father is calling us to know Him, trust Him and rest in Him.

    Trusting Jesus for tomorrow, next week, next year and forever frees us to see what this moment holds. No amount of worry will change the fact that we will face death, adversity and sadness.

    As a young believer one of my favorite artists was Andrae Crouch. His lyrics powerfully showed how God uses trials to help us mature in our faith.

    I’ve had many tears and sorrows
    I’ve had questions for tomorrow
    There’s been times I didn’t know right from wrong
    But in every situation
    God gave me blessed consolation
    That my trials come to only make me strong

    Through it all
    Through it all
    I’ve learned to trust in Jesus
    I’ve learned to trust in God

    Through it all
    Through it all
    I’ve learned to depend upon His Word

    I pray that all of us learn to trust in Jesus and depend upon His Word in this difficult season.

  • A Sneak Preview of My Final Message to Friends and Family

    When I was a little boy I remember the standard prayer at bedtime. I know it was meant to comfort but one line always freaked me out.

    Now I lay me down to sleep.
    I pray the Lord my soul to keep.
    If I should die before I wake,

    Wait? What? If I should die before I wake? I think I will just stay awake for awhile thank you very much.

    Six decades later that prayer makes a lot more sense. If I should die before I wake I believe I will be in the presence of Jesus. I am not anxious to leave this life but I am not afraid.

    I have many loved ones who have gone home to heaven. I wondered what message I would like to communicate as my final word? I have been blessed with some wonderful friends and colleagues who would likely say some nice things about me along with some funny and embarrassing stories.
    I would like all of them to understand a very important truth. I learned some great lessons from my Dad and others as I was growing up. But I can tell you with complete assurance that my life would have gone off the rails without my relationship with Jesus. His love both restrained and sustained me. I believe my insecure and selfish heart would have taken me down a different path without my faith. Any quality that you find positive in my life has been given or enhanced through my relationship with Jesus. Anytime I have disappointed or did not show love it was because I took my eyes off of Him.

    Paul writes these words in Philippians.

    8 And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise. 9 Keep putting into practice all you learned and received from me—everything you heard from me and saw me doing. Then the God of peace will be with you. (Philippians 4, NLT)

    I would like to paraphrase Paul’s words for my final message.

    “And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. I hope you saw in my life some things that were true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Whatever you might have received from me grew out of the sustaining love, grace, and peace of God.”

    I know my heart. I know the crossroads I came to in different seasons of my life and how God gracefully and lovingly rescued me over and over. So my final message to my believing friends would be one of encouragement and hope.

    Trust God and trust who He says you are because of the finished work of Jesus. Believe you are forgiven of all sins past, present, and future. Wholly accept that you are a brand new creation and live in grateful freedom. Drink in the inexhaustible grace of God every day. Allow God to love you as His beloved and then pay that love forward for His glory. Look through the lens of grace and you will find sacred moments in every single day. Recognize that everything about your walk with Jesus is a gift of grace. It is all about the finished work of Jesus on the Cross. At the moment you believe that Jesus is the way to salvation you are gifted with everything you need to live for Him. 

    Forgiveness.
    Security.
    The Spirit of God dwelling in your heart.
    A new identity.
    The hope of eternity with Jesus.
    Grace and love that is completely unrelated to your performance. 

    Those gifts make me want to serve God out of gratitude and not out of begrudging compliance to avoid judgment.

    For my friends who don’t share my faith I would ask one favor. Don’t focus on Christians who fail. Focus on Christ who succeeded. 

    Jesus conquered death. He paid for your sins. I would ask you to examine the impact of Jesus on His culture. It was the message of Christ that gave value to women, children, the poor, and the ignored. When you study His words and life you will see that many of His followers have fallen short, including me. Jesus also taught that some would claim to be His followers who were not in any way known to Him. Those counterfeiters get lumped in with true followers. 

    So my final request would come out of deep love for you. Examine the claims of Jesus with an open heart and mind. Don’t reject Christ because of Christians. That is an easy thing to do. Read the Gospel of John and ask for the Spirit to reveal truth to you. If you choose to reject the claims of Jesus I would sadly accept that decision. If I am wrong about my eternal destiny I would still have no regrets about the way the teachings of Jesus influenced my life. I would do it all over again. 

    I can’t force you to follow Jesus. I hope I have been a small influence for you to thoughtfully and honestly examine the life and claims of Jesus. Following Jesus changed everything in my journey. I would not be a good and loving family member or friend if I did not share that with you.

  • We Should All Pray to be “Troublesome” Christians

    Because of my career path in secular television I have a lot of people very dear to me who do not share my faith and hope in Jesus. Some are simply disinterested. Some think their good works will outweigh their bad deeds and they will be granted entry to Heaven. Some think that faith in God is a foolish pursuit that no intellectually honest person would consider. Some have witnessed horrible actions of people claiming to be Christians. Some have experienced harsh and legalistic religious types who make living a life of faith miserable and emotionally damaging. Some are pushed away by those who share sincere beliefs in a way that does not show the love of God.

    Any combination of these factors can cause people to step away or not pursue what it means to follow Jesus. I get it. I have struggled with many of those things over my long journey of faith.

    Brennan Manning wrote this very convicting observation. “The greatest single cause of atheism in the world today is Christians who acknowledge Jesus with their lips, walk out the door, and deny Him by their lifestyle. That is what an unbelieving world simply finds unbelievable.”

    It is easy to dismiss the hypocrite. No problem to ignore the angry and judgmental religious types. But before I came to faith I was troubled when I saw some Christians who displayed something different in their lives. I could not dismiss so readily the joy, peace, strength, courage, and love they modeled. They were “troublesome” Christians to me.  I could not ignore them because their lives were authentic and different (different good, not weird).

    I want to be that kind of Christian. That is what any follower of Jesus should pray to become. Troublesome. When others look at your life they see kindness and grace when the circumstances call for anything but that response. That is troublesome to those observers. Or how about being a positive light when you are going through a difficult valley? My Pastor Jeff Denton showed that trait throughout his difficult cancer journey that ended this week. Jeff modeled that when you trust God completely and faithfully through trials you will be a light in the darkness for those around you. He trusted that God would redeem his difficult journey. Jeff didn’t know what that would look like but he lived everyday with the belief that God was present. The way he lived out his faith as cancer racked his body impacted his church, his doctors, his medical caretakers, and people all over the community. It seemed impossible for anyone to show that much strength on their own. Pastor Jeff never once took credit for that strength. So many people were amazed by the way Jeff navigated his painful journey with joy, love, and concern for others facing far less serious problems. How did he do it? When he ran his closing credits Pastor Jeff gave all of the credit to Jesus. You can wonder how Jeff somehow managed to muster supernatural personal strength or you can believe that his strength came from God. That is being a “troublesome” Christian to those who dismiss faith as a crutch for the weak.

    How about when you love and serve others without looking for anything in return? That is being a “troublesome” Christian by simply following the commandment of Jesus.

    “So now I am giving you a new commandment: Love each other. Just as I have loved you, you should love each other.”

    That was not a helpful suggestion. Jesus made that command the cornerstone of following Him. So that is my desire. To love others as I have been loved by Jesus and be a “troublesome” Christian to those who aren’t sure about following Him. You can Google yourself away from faith by looking to find people who claim to follow Jesus and have failed dramatically. What the Enemy tries to hide are the millions of faithful and loving followers of Jesus who make a difference every day without any fanfare or credit. They can be troublesome to those who desire to dismiss Jesus. I encountered troublesome believers in my early season of doubt who caused me to examine why they were so different, loving, kind, and graceful. God used them to open my heart toward Him. I want to be a troublesome Christian that God can use for His glory. And I want every bit of the credit to go where it should go.

    Jesus.

  • Quit Waiting for the World to Change

    Joni and I have been listening to my eclectic mix of music on the road this week. The lyrics from a song released 17 years ago sounds like it was written this week. The artist was John Mayer and he won a Grammy for Best Male Vocal Pop Performance with his song “Waiting on the World to Change”. 

    The song describes the apathy displayed by many of Mayer’s generation toward political and social disunity. The words are powerful and, to me, a bit depressing.

    Me and all my friends 
    We’re all misunderstood 
    They say we stand for nothing and 
    There’s no way we ever could 

    Now we see everything that’s going wrong 
    With the world and those who lead it 
    We just feel like we don’t have the means 
    To rise above and beat it 

    So we keep waiting 
    Waiting on the world to change 

    That accurately describes our culture today. We are discouraged and even paralyzed by things out of our control. We feel like the world is hopeless.

    Sadly, this song also describes a growing attitude in the church. Many find fault with the church and those who lead it. Some of it is justified but too often we decide that we don’t have the energy or heart to help change it. Mayer describes the next step.

    It’s hard to beat the system 
    When we’re standing at a distance 
    So we keep waiting 
    Waiting on the world to change 

    Rather than step in it is easy to step back. It is even easier to step away. Researcher George Barna notes that millions of self-described born-again Christians have left the church. Many are standing at a distance and waiting on the church to change.

    A lot of disenfranchised Christians would tell you they support the church in theory. But they are sick of the church for…

    ___ Teaching that is too theological
    ___ Teaching that is not theological enough
    ___ Being too much about politics
    ___ Not aggressive enough politically
    ___ Being too legalistic
    ___ Being too freedom oriented
    ___ Playing music that is too modern
    ___ Playing music that is too old fashioned 

    You get the point. It is not a problem to find a problem. And we keep waiting. Waiting for the church to change.

    But Jesus has a different plan that could help this dilemma and also the apathy that Mayer sings about. Jesus asks us to accomplish the goal with a radical plan to change the world.

    He asks me to change. He asks you to change. Don’t focus on everyone else. Jesus tells us that we are accountable for ourselves. Period.

    Do you think things would change if we could implement the instructions below written to the church at Colossae?

    So if you’re serious about living this new resurrection life with Christ, act like it. Pursue the things over which Christ presides. Don’t shuffle along, eyes to the ground, absorbed with the things right in front of you. Look up, and be alert to what is going on around Christ—that’s where the action is. See things from his perspective. 

    And later in the chapter Paul describes what that would look like…

    So, chosen by God for this new life of love, dress in the wardrobe God picked out for you: compassion, kindness, humility, quiet strength, discipline. Be even-tempered, content with second place, quick to forgive an offense. Forgive as quickly and completely as the Master forgave you. And regardless of what else you put on, wear love. It’s your basic, all-purpose garment. Never be without it. 

     Let the peace of Christ keep you in tune with each other, in step with each other. None of this going off and doing your own thing. And cultivate thankfulness. Let the Word of Christ—the Message—have the run of the house. Give it plenty of room in your lives. Instruct and direct one another using good common sense. And sing, sing your hearts out to God! Let every detail in your lives—words, actions, whatever—be done in the name of the Master, Jesus, thanking God the Father every step of the way.  (Colossians 3-The Message)

    Can you imagine what the church would look like if we lived those few verses alone? Accepting the love and light of God’s grace will change you. Then shining that light of grace will change others. If enough of us follow that plan the church will change. No waiting. And if enough churches change then the world will change.

    So that is the plan. No waiting required. Get started on you today. I will work on me. We can stop waiting for the church to change and we can stop waiting for the world to change. We can start trusting God to change our hearts and be obedient to do our part for His plan. It is a start. I believe it is the only way the world can change.

  • Lessons Along the Rocky Road


    I love how life experiences can teach you new lessons or reinforce lessons learned. Joni and I just returned from a week long retreat in Colorado at a beautiful B&B that I highly recommend called The Silver Lake Lodge.

    Less that a mile away from our awesome retreat was the trailhead that leads you to Saint Mary’s Glacier and the beautiful lake beneath it. We looked at the trail description. The hike was approximately 3/4 of a mile to the lake and the hiking app listed it as moderate. On our first full day in Colorado we decided to make the trek. The sign at the base of the trail was a bit sobering.

    But we sent a text asking our kids to pray for us and the location of our wills. Immediately we were taken aback at how rocky the trail before us appeared.

    Okay. This is doable. Just step carefully and take your time. This is not a race to the top.

    Pretty quickly after starting the ascent our lungs reminded us that we were at 10,500 feet. We stopped periodically to catch our breath. During one of these stops we met a young family from New York state. We took photos of their family and they returned the favor. They encouraged us that altitude adjustment struggles is an issue for all ages.

    They plowed on ahead and we moved slowly up the trail. At one point we grew discouraged. There were no markers to indicate you were on the right track and no info on how much further you had to go. We faced a particularly steep and rocky path. It was the most disheartening moment of the hike so far. Just as we discussed our next step an energetic young couple returned down the trail. We asked if this rocky road was the only way up.

    “Oh no. Just go around this way. It is a tiny bit longer but a much smoother trail.”

    We followed their excellent advice and continued the climb. Again there was no indicator of our progress. We kept wondering how much farther? Is this worth it? What were we thinking?

    Then it happened again. As we pondered our status a young woman came down the trail. Joni asked the dual question. How much further and is it worth it?

    “You guys don’t have much further to go. And yes, it is SO WORTH IT!”

    Her encouragement and energy was the fuel we needed. We finished the hike and discovered the magnificent beauty of the lake and glacier. It was so worth it!

    We reveled in the moment and decided to hike on up to the glacier. When we made it there Joni surveyed the scenery and on the other side of the slope was the young family from New York waving and cheering for our success.

    Later we reflected on the lessons learned. Having a dream to see the overwhelming beauty of God’s creation was a worthy goal. What we didn’t plan on was how rocky and steep the road would be at times. Isn’t that how life so often plays out? Unexpected things happen that discourage our hearts.

    There was no clear direction to get us there or to let us know our location on our journey. Joni and I marveled at the “coincidence” we encountered at the two most difficult moments. A couple shows up to show us a better path. Then another person arrives to encourage us that we were nearly there and the effort would be worth it. We laughed at how these God moments are so amazing. Some might think it was mere coincidence. We have experienced so many times in our life journey together when God sends the perfect person, community, or event to get us through a hard time.

    Scripture talks about the process to find the best path. In Psalm 119 we read this.

    Your word is a lamp to guide my feet
    and a light for my path.

    God’s Word gives direction and light in the darkness. Perhaps the best road map is found in Proverbs.

    Trust in the Lord with all your heart;
    do not depend on your own understanding
    Seek his will in all you do,
    and he will show you which path to take.

    Proverbs 3:5-6 NLT

    The big lesson? Perseverance and trust got us to the top of that trail and the reward was overwhelming. We marveled in quiet worship at God’s creative genius. This is but a tiny indicator of the reward awaiting our trust in God. He will be their for every step as we navigate the rocky roads of life. Someday we will hit the end of the trail and be speechless as we step into the presence of our Lord and Savior. I often imagine family and friends who have climbed the trail ahead of us cheering and rejoicing at our arrival.

    This journey is not easy. Never will be. One of the big mistakes we make in sharing our faith is making it seem like all troubles are over when you embrace Christianity. That is not in the contract. We will still have problems and heartaches and even tragedies. But we have a hope on that rocky road that is sustaining and powerful. Someday we will get to that beautiful destination. This was just a teaser for that magnificent moment in our future.

  • An Antidote to Fear


    Many historians believe that 1968 was one of the most turbulent years in American history. Martin Luther King, Jr. and Bobby Kennedy were assassinated. Race riots and Vietnam war protests created massive unrest. International peace was unsettled as the USSR invaded Czechoslovakia. A bestselling book by entomologist Paul Ehrlich called the Population Bomb predicted that overpopulation would lead to hundreds of millions of people starving and there was nothing we could do about it.

    In the Christian world a movie called Thief in the Night came out with a frightening story about the rapture and tribulation. I didn’t sleep well for weeks because I did not want to get left behind. My parents thought the end was near.

    I was 15 years old. The news was terrifying. I was a new Christian and I had virtually no discipling for what faith in God meant when confronting fears.

    I didn’t know if I would get a chance to drive, vote, get married, have children, have a career, or see the Cleveland Browns win another NFL championship. By the way, all but one have worked out.

    Fast forward fifty-five years (and trust me it feels that way) and the cultural climate in our country feels even worse. I have had a few years to see how God works in my life so that is a big difference. But I will be honest, it is still unsettling.

    Last week I had the honor of delivering a message at my home church, Waterbrook Bible Fellowship. I spoke about Psalm 27 because I think it addresses a major issue for Christians and especially non-believers today. Where do we find hope in a seemingly hopeless world? How can we address the fears that confront us consistently?

    In the Psalm David is being pursued and he believes an attack on his life is imminent. He states his hope without ignoring the danger of his current situation. Instead of downplaying his trouble he looks through a different lens. Yep. Things are a dangerous mess. Yep. I could be attacked at any moment. He starts Psalm 27 with the things he needs to remember as he confronts a deadly threat.

    1 The Lord is my light and my salvation—
        whom shall I fear?
    The Lord is the stronghold of my life—
        of whom shall I be afraid?

    God is my light in the darkness. God is my salvation and eternal hope. God is my strength when I am weak. Wow. Believing those truths alone will make a difference when fear rises up in my heart. But let’s be honest here. No doubt that intellectual knowledge is encouraging but how can we live out those truths when danger and fear are lurking? Let’s look at an amazing statement from the Psalmist.

    3 Though an army besiege me,
        my heart will not fear;
    though war break out against me,
        even then I will be confident.

    Wait? What?

    If war breaks out against me even then I will be confident? That is not the circumstance that gives me confidence in my journey.

    How can he possibly be confident? I found it fascinating that the Hebrew word for confident translates literally to “I will trust”. David’s confidence was not in his own strength. He was trusting God and that gave him the confidence to be unafraid.

    Again, that is a comforting intellectual concept. God is my light. My salvation. My strength. I trust Him. I still need a plan to implement those truths. How do you trust God when danger is all around you? David’s plan is simple and instructive for us today.

    He wanted to be present with the Lord.

    My natural tendency would likely be to agonize over the circumstances. Instead David chooses, and it is a choice, to make God his priority in uncertain and difficult times.

    My first instinct would be to desperately pray for protection. That God would remove me from this situation. But what did David want first and foremost?

    4 One thing I ask from the Lord,
        this only do I seek:
    that I may dwell in the house of the Lord
        all the days of my life,
    to gaze on the beauty of the Lord
        and to seek him in his temple.

    He wanted, more that anything else, to be in the presence of the Lord.

    Pastor John Piper wrote, “Communion with God is not merely learning about God but enjoying fellowship with God in the truth he reveals about himself.”

    God wants His children to commune with Him. He wants us to learn more about who He is. He wants to hear us praise him in word, song, and service. Then we need to bring those things we learn about God’s character into fellowship with Him in honest prayer and reflection. Knowledge alone often falls short. Knowledge combined with intimate fellowship with the Lord is a game changer.

    We worship the same God David did, and we can trust that same God. He is always there. We will ultimately be victorious. One thing I have learned is that victory may not look exactly like I scripted it in my mind. And sometimes I defer to noted theologian Garth Brooks who sang “I Thank God for Unanswered Prayers”. I could add multiple paragraphs telling you how many times that God saying no or not yet was an incredible blessing when I got to the see the results later.

    Now more than ever that we need to place the truths of Psalm 27 in our hearts. David’s words remind us that even in the difficult times we can persevere because our God has perfect timing and the perfect plan. There is no need to panic and develop our plans to fix the problem. We can have confidence that if we turn to God for strength, knowledge, and wisdom, we will know what our part in the solutions is.

    There is a famous saying that fits this Psalm of David.

    Fear knocked at the door. Faith answered. No one was there.

    When we trust God and seek His presence I believe that can be true. When we feel fear rising up we need to remember God is our light, our salvation, and our strength. The next time fear knocks on the door gather up those truths and have faith answer. It makes a powerful difference.

    (If you want to hear the entire message on Psalm 27 you can click here. You will see I “borrowed” a lot of this blog content from the message.)