The Space Between

"Christ Jesus is the same today as yesterday and forever." - Hebrews 13:8

When we're little, God is the old man with a long beard. We ask Him to protect us and give us sweet dreams. When we get a little older, we ask Him to watch out for us, to help us in school, with friends, and for other things we really want, like a new bike. As we get even older, though, we seem to leave our old friend and protector behind. A teacher once told me a story of a newly wed couple who would sit closely together in their truck as the husband drove home. Years passed and the distance between them in the truck got wider and wider until one day, the wife complained to her husband, "why don't we sit close together anymore?!" to which the husband replied, "honey, I've always been in the same place, you're the one that's moved away!"

In this story, God is the husband and we are the wife. God is the same with us today as He was when we were innocent, trusting children. He still sees us in the same way, why don't we? When we suffer and go through hardships and all sorts of problems and blame Him for it to the point where we don't even count on Him for anything, realize that it's that you forgot to trust in Him. You forgot to believe in Him like you did when You were younger. We often go around trying to create these worlds for ourselves without ever asking Him what He thinks and if these things are good for us. God hasn't gone anywhere, He's still waiting for you to come back and run everything by Him! Stop and take a look at your life and how close or far you've gotten from Him. Remember the total trust you had as a child that God would take care of you. Anyone that knows a child knows they speak the truth because they don't complicate themselves with all of the things we do. Therefore, go back to the way you were, and to the God who is still waiting for His child to get close so He could offer His protection.

Today's Prayer:
My God, as a child, You were my great protector and as I got older, I thought I didn't need You anymore. Oh, my God, allow me to return to You with the same innocence I had back then, and also with the same trust. Help me to see that You have been there all along while it was I who moved away from You. In Jesus' Name, amen.

Mercy

"For God had given us the Law through Moses, but Truth and Loving-kindness came through Jesus Christ." - John 1:17

All of my life, I have followed the correct path. I hardly ever gave my parents any trouble. I was the teacher's pet and have always been called the goody goody by those who know me. Because of this, I painfully confess, I have often judged others because they weren't like me. I wouldn't admit it then, but now I realize I thought myself better. All this time I have been really good at following the law, doing what's right and staying away from bad. But my heart had been in being proud of myself for being right, while true goodness from the heart was lacking.

God has given us His law, but each of us knows the difference between right and wrong. What about mercy? Mercy is an undeserved gift from God. That is what Jesus brought to us with His life, death, and resurrection. True love and kindness have been given to us by Jesus. That means that because He loves us, not because we have been good, and even when we've been bad, Jesus forgives us without merit. He washes away sin. He washes away guilt. He washes away any pain we carry in the heart. It really doesn't matter what we've done in the past. God doesn't look at us like I would have in the past. If you weren't "good' like me, I would have thought less of you. But not God. The further you feel from Him, the more He wants to hold you, embrace you, keep you safe in His arms. He doesn't seek our righteousness but our mercy… that we love others in this way. That we see that we all come from the same Father. This way, no one can ever feel better than anyone else since all we have is because God has been loving and merciful, and has blessed us.

Please, don't make the same mistake I've made if you feel this speaks to you as well. Ask Jesus to bless you with His mercy. We are all flawed and have all sinned, yet the Lord loves us despite of all these things. Abandon yourself in His mercy and share it with others.

Today's Prayer:
Lord Jesus, as imperfect as I am, with all my bad thoughts, deeds, and attitude, you still choose to love me and walk with me. I could never deserve you, but please change my heart. Humble me and make me pliable. Work through me and show me Your perfection. In Your Name we pray, amen.

Hope

"Let us hold fast to our hope without wavering, because He who promised is faithful." - Hebrews 10:23

When we are being defeated in a tough situation, the last thing to go is hope, and hope is the most important thing we need to survive. Our hope is what keeps us alive no matter the winds that are blowing against us. That's why when we're going through suffering, our hope and faith in God is the first thing the devil subtly attacks. First come the questions such us, why is this happening to me? Then it's anger against God and believing He does not care. Slowly we build up a bitterness against Him where we can't even pray. I know; I've felt like this before. But please, through the storm, remember this verse - hold on to your hope in God. He is faithful although it might seem to you that things aren't going to get any better. Scripture says in the book of Habbakkuk to set your eyes firmly on what you want (keeping hope alive) because the Lord will make it happen for you. Take your eyes off of how bad things are and how much you're hurting and focus on how big your God is. Your God is a king! Your God is Almighty! Your God is working on your behalf to help you now! Keep your hope alive! Set your hope on Him because He is faithful.

Today's Prayer:
Lord Jesus, break through the hurt and disappointment I feel. Sometimes the enemy gets in my head and leads me to think You don't care and have abandoned me. Fan the flame in my heart and keep my hope alive so that I can see Your love and mercy in my life. In Your Name we pray, amen.

The Small Things

"As for you, every hair of your head as been counted." - Matthew 10:30

When a baby is born, I always notice that one of the first things parents do is check if the newborn has 10 fingers and 10 toes…not that they can do anything about it if the number isn't right, but I can imagine that as a parent, they want to make sure their child is perfect and everything is ok. One of the reasons I love God so much, is that He is like this parent who examines us inside and out because He wants us to be ok. The bible is filled with passages in which God speaks about how He knit us together in our mother's womb, how He guided us from before the time we were conceived, and even how He knows about all of our days before they even happen. Jesus tells us here in the gospel according to Matthew that even the number of hairs on our heads are known to God! From time to time we think and feel that God isn't around, that He's abandoned us, but the fact that the Creator of the universe even watches over the hairs on our head shows the extraordinary care He takes with us, even when we have no clue that He does it. And if He is so precise and so detailed about these small things, things that seem insignificant to us, how about in the larger things? It puts me at ease to know how He watches over me. It puts me at ease to know that I am precious to Him. Today, He might not have to speak to me through a burning bush, or split the sea for me,… just the fact that He's keeping track of all my small things is enough for me

Today's Prayer:
Lord God, in Your arms and in Your presence I want to stay forever. When I'm down and when I'm happy, help me to be grateful for Your love and attention. In Your Name we pray, amen.

The Gift of God

"Here is the dwelling of God among men: He will pitch His tent among them and they will be His people. God will be with them and wipe every tear from their eyes. There shall be no more death or mourning, crying out or pain, for the world that was has passed." - Revelation 21:3-4

This is the time of year in which everyone is going around shopping. There is more talk of Santa than of Jesus and we hear people telling us to keep Christ in Christmas. But I'm not going to talk to you about that, I want to talk to you about the gift God has given us by becoming one of us. We hear about Jesus' birth, death, resurrection, the miracles and about how He loves us…but how many times do you think about what He's actually done for us? Jesus came to abolish all of our fears and do away with all the pain and anxieties that plague us. On earth, in this life, we toil and trouble and so many unfair things happen to us. We aren't guaranteed happiness, but we are guaranteed eternal life with the Lord. Even the fear of death is always at the back of our minds. We all know we have to go there one day and see our loved ones die along the way. But this is why God's gift to us is so important. It should fill us all with hope. Because of Jesus, we have the gift of eternal life. Here we suffer for about 70 or 80 years if we're lucky, but the faithful are received into God's arms. Death is only a door we cross through to get to our true lives, united with God. There, God will wipe away each and every tear we've ever cried. All the pain from betrayals, deceit, abandonment, all pain anyone could have ever caused us, He does away with. We are received into His arms as His children and nothing else that we go through here on earth matters. You have to keep in mind that as morbid as this sounds, this life is only temporary. Don't blame God or anyone else for what you suffer here because this isn't where you'll be forever. Be steadfast and know where your true place is and how God will show you all of His mercy and all of His love when He calls you home. Death has no hold on the children of God. The life Jesus gave us is eternal.

Today's Prayer:
Lord Jesus, thank You for being born unto to us. You came and sacrificed Your life so that we may believe and join You in Heaven with our Father. Always remind me when I suffer that this isn't my real home and my life will not last forever, but the gift that You have given me will be consolation with You in Heaven. In Your Name we pray, amen.

Bound

"You are a people consecrated to Yahweh, your God. Yahweh has chosen you from among all the peoples on the face of the earth, that you may be His own people. Yahweh has bound Himself to you and has chosen you." - Deuteronomy 7:6-7

When I read this verse, it tells me that no matter what, God will always be there for me. Yes, I know He has called me. Yes, I know He loves me and has done wonderful things for me, but time after time, sin after sin, He is still there. The verse says He has bound Himself to us. It's an oath, a promise He Himself has taken up to be attached to us forever. God isn't like us and does not go back on His Word. But this means that no matter how long it's been since we've prayed, or have gone to church, His Word still stands. He waits. And for me, the best part of this is that it makes me wonder about the implications of this for my future. He is bound to us for a reason, and it fills me with hope to think of the things He has planned and the things He wants to accomplish in us.…the things He will accomplish if we let Him.

Today's Prayer:
Lord God, thank You for loving us without reason. Thank You for choosing us despite our faults and unfaithfulness. You give me hope, and even in the midst of darkness, You allow for Your light to shine and bring us closer to You. Help us follow that light. In Your Name we pray, amen.

No Record of Wrongs

"Love overcomes anger and forgets offenses." - 1st Corinthians 13:5

I know a girl who committed a sin she is very ashamed of. Immediately, the walls went up between her and God, but God wasn't the one who raised them, she did. I look at myself and think of the times I've offended someone and needed to apologize. I find that I keep my distance and not talk to the person, hoping they'll get over it because it makes me feel bad that they're so angry with me. It takes a lot to apologize so it's easier for me to stay away. A lot of us tend to take this route with the Lord. We do something we know God wouldn't like and/ or continue to do it, and we distance ourselves from God because of the guilt we feel, or because we think we're just not compatible with Him.

In this verse, Paul tells us that even though that's how we are, God is not like this. In his gospel, the apostle John said that God is love, and this God, who is perfect love, does not hold on to grudges from the times we have offended Him. Another translation says that love does not keep a record of wrongs. That's what we do! We keep a checklist of what others have done to us and we also keep a checklist of sins we've committed, reasons we've made up to justify why we stay away from God and why we're not worthy. We all need to take a step back and realize that God is love and God understands all that we go through. All we do in life is part of a journey we need to take to discover ourselves, so no sin should keep us away from trying to get back to God. He waits for each and every one of us with open arms. Forgetting our offenses, He always waits in love for our return.

Today's Prayer:
Lord God, You are so good. You forget the sins I've commited and cast them out of Your site when I seek You. No matter what I've done, You still love me and wait for my return. Lord, don't ever let me forget Your great mercy, love and compassion for me. I love You. In Your Name we pray, amen.

Who Completes You?

"O Lord, you know me: you have scrutinized me. You know when I sit and when I rise; from far away you discern my thoughts. You observe my activities and times of rest; you are familiar with all my ways. Before a word is formed in my mouth, you know it entirely, O Lord." - Psalm 139:1-4

I think you're like me in that we want to be loved. We want someone who completes us. We want someone who knows us so well that they finish our sentences. We all want someone who is our soulmate, the one person that loves us and knows us better than anyone else. I'm coming to realize that we come so close to finding that person, but it never is complete. And it's not complete because we are all imperfect. We make mistakes, intentionally or not, that really hurt those we love the most. We let each other down. If we're in a bad mood, we take it out on those close to us. If we know we do that, then we can only expect our partner to do it to us from time to time. Therefore, who can actually really complete us? Who can actually see us and know exactly what we're thinking? Who is always there to listen to us and be that shoulder to cry on without fail? There is only One…the Lord our God, who knit us together in our mother's womb. He formed us, thought about us each second of the day to make sure we're ok. He's the only One who can see us for who we really are. He's the only One who understands our intentions or insecurities when others judge. And He's the only One who will love you unconditionally, giving you His best time after time. You are beloved in His eyes and He will never fail you.

Today's Prayer:
Lord Jesus, thank You for Your love and mercy. When others fail me, You are there. When I crave love that others can't give me, You fill me. Help me Lord to show others that You are there for them too, to fill those areas of their hearts that are cold and abandoned. In Your Name we pray, amen.

Today

Hey - This is the last email you'll get from me until Sunday. I'll be away at a retreat this weekend and won't be able to write to you.

Here's today's verse:

"My soul thirsts for God, for the living God." - Psalm 42:2

I was at the mall on Saturday and I went into the Catholic Supply Store to buy a CD of the Rosary. I added it to my iPod so I could meditate on it while on the train. I was listening to it this morning on the LIRR and I had this amazing feeling; I felt like a child in God's arms. That feeling stayed with me as I got into the city and got on the subway on my way to work. When I got out of the subway, I went to a church by my job that I always go into every morning. Today was different though. I felt in a rush to get there and I started to feel like a little girl lost, missing from her parents. I ran up the stairs of the church in a sort of desperation because this strong emotion was beginning to pour out of me and showed itself as tears running down my face. There was this strong desire in me to be in God's presence and the only way I can describe it is as a little child yearning for their parent and finally seeing them in front of them. As I made my way to the front of the church, I was visibly crying, and not just tears at this point but loud sobs, and I'm sure the other people in the church heard/ saw me and wondered what was wrong with me. But nothing at all was wrong; I felt an immense love in my heart and it was my Lord calling me. I yearned to be in His presence like nothing I've felt before and kneeling there before Him gave me such peace.

Maybe some of you have felt this and maybe some of you are far from this, but the truth is that God really draws close to those that draw close to Him. I'm not perfect, far from it, and God has so much work to do in me, but He is good and along my journey He shows me how close He is to me. What I hope for the most is that all of you one day get to feel this. I hope that you continually search for God every day so that you can see how loving He is and how incredibly good He is.

Today's Prayer:
Lord God, You are so good to me. You draw me into You and my soul thirsts only for You, to be connected to You. Help me to respond to Your call and bring others to get to know Your love. In Your Name we pray, amen.

He Will Never Forget You

"Can a woman forget the baby at her breast and have no compassion on the child of her womb? Though she may forget, I will not forget you." - Isaiah 49:15

Those that hurt us the most are those that we care about the most. We give so much of ourselves to those we love and it's so painful to see them not return the same favor back. It's not that we demand compensation for our actions, but we want to feel appreciated and shown that love back. Unfortunately, none of us are perfect and we end up getting hurt by those we love, those we thought were going to be there for us, and we, at times also hurt those we love with our own actions. Feeling unappreciated or betrayed by someone is a pain that burns deep in our chests, but we must give up our sorrows to the Lord so that He can take care of us. No matter who has hurt you - even your own mother - God is there for you. Even closer than the bond of a mother and child is the bond of God's love for you. He will never forget you no matter who doesn't love you anymore or who has hurt you, betrayed you or left you feeling unwanted/ unappreciated.

Please, always keep in mind that you only need to see yourself as the Lord sees you. Don't let hurt and betrayal fog your vision of the Lord, but always keep in mind that He will never forget you, but have you always present to nourish you.

Today's Prayer:
Lord God, You're there for me when I'm hurting and show me that Your love is the only love that matters. Clear my mind so that I can be grateful for Your love and mercy. In Your Name we pray. Amen.

For The Good of Those Who Love Him

"We know that in everything God works for the good of those who love Him." - Romans 8:28

Sometimes we get what we want but a lot of times we lose. A lot of times things happen to us that we don't quite understand and those things might cause us to get angry at God and jealous at those who seem to have what we're missing. But put your hope in the Lord because when you do, everything that happens to you, good and bad, is for your ultimate good. Why let anger and disappointment set in when God is working to give you more? When you trust in Him, you will see your prayers answered, maybe not in the form in which you wanted, but He will let you know that He is good and He is alive in your life.

Back in August, I wrote about trusting in God even when things don't work out our way. I wrote about how I lost something I really wanted. That something was a dream job that was offered to me. The company called me in, I met with the head of the online marketing department and it seemed like it was in the bag. I was so so happy. Then, a week later, I found out they couldn't bring me in. I had waited so long for a position like that and then it was gone. I could have asked myself why God would do that to me. Why would He bring in the job, get my hopes up and then take it away? But I didn't. Although I was so hurt I wanted to cry, I thanked Him because of this verse; because He is good and He loves me enough to only give me what's best for me. Fast forward to today and that same guy who interviewed me called me. He called to tell me how he was glad he couldn't bring me in because the label was going through changes, and on Friday they laid off everyone I would have been working with, and I would have been let go too. God took care of me for I know His Name. I didn't doubt, I just trusted and because of this, He showed me why He does things. If this is what He does to protect me, I can only imagine what He'll do to bless me and my future. Put your hope in the Lord. Trust Him, come good or come bad…as badly as your world may shake, the Lord is good and is working on turning your bad into good. Wait on the works of His hands.

Today's Prayer:
Lord God, You are good, You are holy, You are just, and You are loving. Thank You for answering my prayers in ways I do not see and for protecting me for I know Your Name. Please help me stay grateful always and help me spread faith in You to others. In Your Name we pray, amen.

Correction From God

"What you endure is in order to correct you. God treats you like sons and what son is not corrected by his father? Besides, when our parents according to the flesh correct us, we respected them. How much more should we be subject to the Father of the spirits to have life? Our parents corrected us as they saw fit, with a view to this very short life, but God corrects us for our own good, that we may share His holiness. All correction is painful at the moment, rather than pleasant; later it brings the fruit of peace, that is, holiness to those who have been trained by it." - Hebrews 12: 7, 9-11

I have a friend that is going through a very hard, very dark situation. She sees all that's happening in her life as God punishing her for the sins she has committed. I was praying for her one day, and God let me feel that she was lonely and hurt. It wasn't that she was sinful and needed punishment, but that being away from Him had led her astray and she needed Him in order to heal. She sees the bad in her life as God abandoning her and punishing her, but it is actually correction. Slowly, God has been taking away certain things that will cause her harm, and also showing her valuable lessons in humility. This isn't punishment, but correction. God let me feel that He loves her so much, but will let her reach bottom until she has no choice but to acknowledge that He's the only One that can help her. She, like all of us, are God's beloved children. He lets us go out and play in the world, but like a good father, He corrects when we have misbehaved for our greater good. We may think we are smart enough on our own, but when caught up in our errors, we suffer and cry out to the Lord like young children. But as the author of the letter to the Hebrews says, no correction is pleasant at first. My friend is struggling. She feels a pain and a loneliness in her heart that only she and the Lord can understand. However, God knows what He's doing and in time, His actions will bring her what she needs the most - peace.

If you are going through a difficult time and feel God is punishing you, pray and understand that you are going through what's best for your soul. It does not matter to God that you get what you really want right now if what you want makes you lose sight of Him and your salvation. God calls you to be holy and He works so that what He does give you will make you happy here on earth, and most importantly, in Heaven.

Today's Prayer:
Lord, thank You for loving us as Your own children, correcting us so that we don't go down the wrong path. Please have mercy and understanding for those that are lost, for those that are having difficulty seeing and following Your will. Help us all to know in our hearts that You are the way, the truth, and the Life and only You can bring us the peace we need. In Your Name we pray, amen.

Love Hurts

"O, Ephraim, what shall I do with you? O, Judah, how shall I deal with you? This love of yours is like morning mist, like morning dew that quickly disappears. This is why I smote you through the prophets, and have slain you by the words of my mouth. For it is love that I desire, not sacrifice; it is knowledge of God, not burnt offerings." - Hosea 6:4-6

I have a couple of friends that are going through trouble in their relationships. Why is it that when we really love someone, sometimes they just don't correspond to our feelings? There is this one person who fell in love with someone who really seemed to care, but whenever he really needed her, she was gone and not there for him. To retaliate because he was hurt, he would say mean things to her, but only because he wanted her to feel the pain he was feeling. Sometimes she'd come back around when she was lonely, or needed something. He knew this, but he loved her so much, he'd take her back, although he knew her love wasn't sincere.

I've mentioned before that God not only loves us as a Father, but also in the way in which a husband loves his wife. This story I just mentioned is God's love for us as told through the prophet Hosea. God saw His people as His spouse and became so angry when He'd see His people not pay attention to Him and putting things such as wine, money, and sex before Him. He considered them all cheaters. Although He called them all adulterers, He was so hurt that He'd curse them but He wanted them all back. That's why in this passage, the Lord sighs in pain as we do when our relationship isn't going right. "O, Ephraim, what shall I do with you?" Think of the despair you go through when that person you love doesn't call you or answer your calls. They say they love you, but they don't show it. As God says, their love is "like morning dew that quickly disappears." And deep down, even when the one you love does answer you, you want them to be sincere and really love you back, not just because they need something as we do with God.

I picked this passage because sometimes we don't realize how strong God's love for us is and how easily we brush Him aside to focus on other things. The bible is full of verses comparing His love to the love of boyfriend/ girlfriend, husband/ wife. He knows fully well the anguish and despair we feel when we're hurt by love, and by using this comparison through the prophet Hosea, He shows us that His pain is that real.

Today's Prayer:
Lord God, I'm sorry for not loving You or giving You the time You deserve. I could never repay You for Your love but I seek to please You from now on. In Your Name we pray, amen.

Lost Your First Love

"You have persevered and have suffered for my Name without losing heart. Nevertheless, I have this complaint against you: you have lost your first love. Remember from where you have fallen and repent, and do what you used to do before." - Revelation 2:4-5

For many of us, our relationship with God has reached its peaks and its valleys. When we're at our peak, our faith is so alive and we see God's hand in all things. And at the valleys, sin drags us down, the appeals of the world draw us in and we lose sight of God and occupy our time with other things. It is to people that are at these valleys that Jesus speaks to here. He accuses us of losing our first love, that is, that strong devotion we once had to Him. Remember how purely you believed at one point, how innocent you were in the presence of God. Do you still feel like that? Have you lost your first love? If you have, then Jesus says to go back to doing what you used to do before. If you would read the bible daily, go back to it. If you would pray the rosary daily, go back to it. Spend that time and give that dedication because Jesus will meet you half way and refill you with the Holy Spirit who will set your faith on fire. And He doesn't rebuke us here either; He reminds us that He knows us. He knows of our faith and all we have done for Him, but Jesus deserves so much more from us because He has done so much more for us. If you have lost your first love today, go back to how you used to be before in order to regain the joy of Christ.

Today's Prayer:
My Jesus, I have lost my first love and wish more than anything to have my heart filled with You again. Please forgive me for allowing my heart and my faith to get cold. I welcome You into my life. I make room for You so that You can grow in me. In Your Name we pray, amen.

In The Beginning

"In the beginning, when God began to create the heavens and the earth, the earth had no form and was void; darkness was over the deep and the Spirit of God hovered over the water." - Genesis 1:1-2

In the beginning stages of our relationship with God, we have no shape and the life we think we have is actually empty and dark. Things like friends, money, parties, clothes, drinks, fill us up temporarily but what do you have when the party is over and you're alone again? The thing about us all, whether we care to acknowledge it or not, is that we all need God in order to be fulfilled. Our souls were created by Him and only with Him can we ever feel completion and rest. When we go about without Him, the Spirit of God hovers around us. As far from God as we get, He will always put something or someone in our path to remind us that He is there. The passage says He hovers over the water. He hovers like an eagle who flies over her young; she doesn't get too close, she doesn't interfere, but she watches closely by and the second her baby is in danger, she's there to scoop it up as God is always there for you.

Let Him begin His work in you, form you and chase out the darkness with His light. Let Him fill you with life so that you will no longer be void, dark, and empty.

Today's Prayer:
My God, thank You for looking out for me, especially in those moments when I'm too busy to even remember who You are. I know You respect my will but right now I want to give You permission to always, always remind me, even in a harsh way, that You are all I need. In Your Name we pray, Amen.

Conquer The Walls That Separate Us From God

"Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Will it be trials, or anguish, persecution or hunger, lack of clothing, or dangers or sword?… No, in all of this we are more than conquerors, thanks to Him who has loved us." - Romans 8:35-37

I think that as long as we walk here on earth, there will be so many things that will be as walls that stand between us and God. Some walls are put there by the problems we face and others are put there by our own actions, our sins. The thing about these walls is that in none of these instances, it was God that put them up. As a matter of fact, they only really exist in our own minds and in our own hearts. For example, when we sin, immediately the guilt tells us we are undeserving of God so we put the wall up. God never told us to put it there, we did it. When we are faced with problems, we put the wall up because we busy ourselves trying to figure it out on our own instead of learning to trust. And since these walls only exist in our own minds, they are imaginary, not real, not impenetrable by God. For God, no barriers exist, therefore there is nothing that can ever separate us from Him nor from His love. On the contrary, in Him, not only can we forever knock down these walls we've created, but we have the power to be victorious against all trials, sorrows, anguish, sin, all things…not just victorious, but like Paul says, "more than conquerors." This is the love of Jesus Christ in our lives.

Today's Prayer:
God, in my little world I have created barriers trying to protect myself and I thought I could do it all on my own, but I quickly see that I can't. I need You more than I even realize right now. Fill me with Your wisdom and give me the spirit of the conqueror You have destined me to be. In Your Name we pray, Amen.

Making It Through

"Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name; you are mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you. When you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through fire, you will not be burned; neither will the flames consume you. For I am your savior, I, Yahweh, your God, the Holy One of Israel. Since you are precious in my sight and important - for I have loved you, I give men in exchange for you and people in return for your life." - Isaiah 43:1-4

We hear the words "God loves you" or "Jesus loves you" so often we don't know what it really means. If our world shatters around us or we see and hear of so many injustices, reason tells us that God can't possible love us. But if you think about it, the only way for us to really know God in our lives is if we are able to make it through the trials and sorrows that hurt us and see that He was there all along. Loving someone does not mean preventing them from experiencing things, but instead to take their hand and walk them through to where they need to be. Learn to trust in God through the hardships that come to us - you have been redeemed by Him, you specifically He has called by name. Notice that the verse says that when you pass through water, when you pass through rivers, when you walk through fire - in life we WILL go through hardships but what makes it all worthwhile is that when we make it through to the other side, it is His embrace that will wait for us. These experiences we go through help us grow and be spiritually on the other side, where we need to be. And when He walks with us through these problems, we will see that we made it through without being hurt, the flames never consumed us because He promised His protection. We are precious in His sight, we are important and all things He allows so that eventually we get to know Him and see the wonders of His hand since otherwise, we might not have paid attention. The day will come when you will give thanks and glory to God because you'll see how you've made it through and how He protected you and let you know His Name.

Today's Prayer:
Lord God, the waters do feel so high at times and the heat is so close to burning me, but I know You love me and have set me apart for You. Help me, my God, to fully trust You and get through to where You are. In Your Name we pray, Amen.

Did God Answer Your Prayers Today?

"Would any of you give a stone to your son when he asks for bread? Or give him a snake, when he asks for a fish? As bad as you are, you know how to give good things to your children. How much more, then, will your Father in Heaven give good things to those who ask Him!" - Matthew 7: 9-11

I know what it's like to keep asking God for something and not see it come. I know how it feels to ask for something with tears streaming down my face and see the opposite of my prayers come true. But this is one of the principle things from the bible that you need to know - God, your Father, knows so much more about you than you could ever possibly know, so He knows what to give you and when. We do not know what's best for us because I've wanted one thing one day and something else the next, and I'm sure you've gone through this. Today I lost something that I really, really wanted and prayed for, but instead of getting angry with the Lord, I gave Him thanks because He who knows me better than I know myself has much better things for me down the road and I'm excited to see those things. These blessings He gives freely and abundantly to those that consecrate their hearts and faith to Him.

Some of you are parents, or uncles, aunts, big sisters or brothers, and you would never give a child something you knew was not good for them. In this, you are like God, but your vision of your own life is so limited. As you want great things for these children, so does the Lord want great things for you. Learn to perfect your prayers by being open to His will. Never become angry because what you might consider a prayer not answered, is actually God delivering you from something harmful while opening the door to a hidden blessing.

Today's Prayer:
Lord Jesus, thank You for being so good to me. You always have my best interests at heart and move to bring larger blessings into my life. Help me at the moments I struggle so that I can accept Your Father's will with joy and hope. In Your Name we pray, Amen.

Clinging On

"'Because he clings to me in love, I will rescue him,' says the Lord. 'I will protect him for he knows my Name. When he calls to me, I will answer; in time of trouble, I will be with him; I will deliver and honor him. I will satisfy him with long life and show him my salvation.'" Psalm 91:14-16

The Lord makes so many promises to us in the bible - so many wonderful things He wants to give us and do for us if we let Him. This is a great example of that and one of my favorite verses. Whenever I'm troubled, scared or doubtful about something in my life, I think back to this and I'm immediately motivated and positive. If you really think about what God says He'll do, it's truly amazing. He will rescue us, protect us, be with us, answer us, deliver us, honor us, give us long life and show us His salvation! Just one or two of these would have been great, but He promises us 8 incredible things! That's why Saint Paul says that God gives us so much more than we could ever ask for or imagine! And for these 8 promises, God only wants one back in return, that we cling to Him in love. With knowing God and taking the time to pray to Him each day, we grow to love Him, but He wants us to cling, not just love. Clinging is like hanging on to the side of a mountain when you're about to fall of; you hang on to that piece of rock because your life depends on it and letting go is not an option. So must God be that rock in our lives. We need to cling to Him and have our lives depend on this love. If we learn to do this, then all of God's promises are ours for the taking.

Today's Prayer:
Lord God, I want nothing more than to cling to You in love. I pray that You continue to reveal Yourself to me because I want nothing more than to live in Your favor and see Your promises fulfilled. In Your Name we pray, Amen.

My Pearl

"The kingdom of Heaven is like a trader who is looking for fine pearls. Once he has found a pearl of exceptional quality, he goes away, sells everything he has and buys it." - Matthew 13:45-46

My messages to you are my intent at selling everything I have for the one exceptional pearl. Finding God has been the most beautiful thing to ever happen to me. I looked for Him for so long, like the trader did, and I found Him. Even after searching through other empty places, I found Him. Having a strong relationship with God is like always being in your mother's arms, even when you're scared, you know you're safe and nothing can harm you. Having a relationship with God is like being in love, all day you yearn to go back to Him. Finding this pearl makes me strive everyday to please Him more and more. Once you find it, you will see how unimportant other things are and how indescribably wonderful God is. You will want to pray all the time as I do. You will just want to stay on your knees praying while His Spirit surrounds you. No words need to be spoken but you know He loves you and carries you in the palm of His hands. This is why I can't let go of Him because it will cause me too much pain. On the contrary, I want to grow in Him more and more. He soothes my soul after a long day. I want to go out and proclaim His ways to everyone I talk to because this joy He has given me is something that I must share. I must tell you how great He is! How awesome He is, how powerful, and how He's waiting to show you what He has shown me. This is why there are sooo many people that don't feel this - a pearl is rare and expensive - there are very few who have the perseverance to find it and even fewer who give all they have to attaining it.

Today's Prayer:
Lord Jesus, thank You so much for letting Yourself be found by me. You are my pearl and I want to give everything up for You. Help me to accomplish this and stay away from things that will cause me to lose You. In Your Name we pray, Amen.