Even through sleepless nights...God CARES

Psalm 56:8 (MSG) You’ve kept track of my every toss and turn through the sleepless nights, Each tear entered in your ledger, each ache written in your book.

Just when you think you’re utterly alone and there is no one who can even begin to understand the pain you’re going through…you stumble across this verse (Psalm 56:8) in God’s word. This verse is a promise we can cling to in the middle of our sleepless night. God knows and furthermore, HE CARES. He cares so much about us that He has a record of every tear we’ve cried and every ounce of pain we’ve ever suffered. He even knows the number of hairs on our head (Matthew 10:30).

Why? He’s a caring Father who loves us unconditionally. He sees us every second of every minute of every hour of every day. NOTHING that happens to us can shock him. He knows that someone close to you will betray you. He knows that someone who vowed to love, honor and cherish you will walk out. He knows that someone you love will fall ill with a debilitating disease. He knows that someone looking for a fix will steal everything of value.

HE KNOWS. HE SEES. HE CARES.

When we’re on our knees with tear stained faces, He wraps us in His embrace (Song of Solomon 2:6 and 8:3) and whispers “It will be ok, I am right here and will never leave you nor forsake you.”

How will you handle these times in your life?

• Will you trust Him and His plan?
• Will you allow Him to work through this situation to make you more like Christ and grow your faith in the process?
• Will you dive into His word and find His promised to stand on?
• Will you turn your back on God thinking that He has left you to “fend” for yourself?
• Will you hold onto the anger and bitterness allowing it to fester?

I encourage you to cry out to Him and tell Him everything. Ask Him for wisdom and guidance. Read through His word and discover what He has to say about His closeness during times of chaos.

I love  the lyrics to Blessings, a song written by Laura Story. This song has helped me look at tough times another way.

Blessings (Laura Story)

We pray for blessings, we pray for peace

Comfort for family, protection while we sleep

We pray for healing, for prosperity

We pray for Your mighty hand to ease our suffering

And all the while, You hear each spoken need

Yet love us way too much to give us lesser things

'Cause what if your blessings come through rain drops

What if Your healing comes through tears

What if a thousand sleepless nights are what it takes to know You're near

What if trials of this life are Your mercies in disguise

We pray for wisdom, Your voice to hear

We cry in anger when we cannot feel You near

We doubt your goodness, we doubt your love

As if every promise from Your word is not enough

And all the while, You hear each desperate plea

And long that we'd have faith to believe

'Cause what if your blessings come through rain drops

What if Your healing comes through tears

What if a thousand sleepless nights are what it takes to know You're near

What if trials of this life are Your mercies in disguise

When friends betray us

When darkness seems to win

We know that pain reminds this heart

That this is not,

This is not our home

It's not our home

'Cause what if your blessings come through rain drops

What if Your healing comes through tears

What if a thousand sleepless nights are what it takes to know You're near

What if my greatest disappointments or the aching of this life

Is the revealing of a greater thirst this world can't satisfy

What if trials of this life

The rain, the storms, the hardest nights

Are your mercies in disguise

Who ya gonna call?

What's in a name?

Perhaps one of the first things you think about when we are waiting for your child to make his or her entrance into this world is the perfect name. What’s in a name really? Most soon-to-be parents read baby books to find the perfect name; others are more traditional and decide to use family names. 

In Biblical times, names were thought to reveal the essential character and nature of a person. Here are just a few examples from scripture:

• Adam: means “man” or “human”
• Eve: means “to breathe” or “to live”
• Abraham: means “the father of many”
• Sarah: means “lady” or “princess” (Gen. 17:16 NIV “the mother of nations”)
• Isaac: means “he laughs” (see Gen. 21:6)
• Jacob: means “he grasps the heel” (a Hebrew idiom for he deceives – see Gen 25:26
• Israel: God contended (see Gen. 32:28)
• Peter: means “rock” (see Matt. 16:18 and John 1:42)

I couldn’t help but think about the names of God as I read through the first few verses of Psalm 31 this morning. As you will see from the scripture below, David recognized God as his refuge and deliverer.

“In you, Lord, I have taken refuge; let me never be put to shame; deliver me in your righteousness. Turn your ear to me, come quickly to my rescue; be my rock of refuge, a strong fortress to save me. Since you are my rock and my fortress, for the sake of your name lead and guide me.” (Psalm 31:1-3)

In this Psalm, David cries out to God because he wants Him to stop those who are unjustly causing problems. David is making his request based on God’s name or character. David knows God loves him. Here he realizes he can run to God for refuge...a safe haven...protection from the "world" around him.

Throughout scripture God reveals His character and nature by His name. I have included a few of them and given scripture references so you can spend some time learning more about God and his character.  (Research taken from www.blueletterbible.org)

• El Shaddai - Lord God Almighty, the All-Sufficient One – Scripture reference: Gen 17:1; Gen 28:3; Gen 35:11; Gen 43:14; Gen 48:3
• El Elyon - The Most High God – Scripture reference: Gen 14:18; Gen 14:19; Gen 14:20; Gen 14:22; Psa 57:2; Psa 78:35
• Adonai – Lord, Master - In the Old Testament Adonai occurs 434 times. There are heavy uses of Adonai in Isaiah (e.g., Adonai Jehovah). It occurs 200 times in Ezekiel alone and appears 11 times in Daniel Chapter 9. Adonai is first used in Gen 15:2.
• Jehovah-Raah - The Lord My Shepherd - In the Old Testament Jehovah-Raah (The Lord my Shepherd) is used in Psalm 23. Other scripture references: Gen 48:15; Gen 49:24; Psa 23:1; Psa 80:1
• Jehovah Rapha - The Lord That Heals – Scripture Reference: Exd 15:26, Jer 30:17; Jer 3:22; Isa 30:26; Isa 61:1; Psa 103:3
• Elohim – God, Judge, Creator – Used over 2,000 times in scripture, Elohim first appears in Gen. 1:1
• Jehovah Jireh - The Lord Will Provide – Only appears once in Gen. 22:14
• Jehovah Shalom - The Lord Is Peace – Only appears once in Judges 6:24

So, where are you today? Do you find yourself in the midst of a crisis and need to call on El Shaddai or Jehovah Shalom? Perhaps you’re wondering how you’re going to make ends meet until your next paycheck? Maybe you or someone you know just got an unfavorable report from the doctor.

May I encourage you to call on the only name you can trust...He will meet you wherever you are.

Psalm 121 (CJB) If I raise my eyes to the hills, from where will my help come? My help comes from Adonai, the maker of heaven and earth. He will not let your foot slip — your guardian is not asleep. No, the guardian of Isra’el never slumbers or sleeps. Adonai is your guardian; at your right hand Adonai provides you with shade the sun can’t strike you during the day or even the moon at night. Adonai will guard you against all harm; he will guard your life. Adonai will guard your coming and going from now on and forever.

Exchanging burdens for perfect peace

Jeremiah 33:2-3 (MSG) This is God’s Message, the God who made earth, made it livable and lasting, known everywhere as God: ‘Call to me and I will answer you. I’ll tell you marvelous and wondrous things that you could never figure out on your own.’

It is so easy for me to get wrapped up in the day-to-day stuff going on around me.  Some days I feel like I’m in the washing machine going through spin cycle after spin cycle…out of control. Have you ever felt like that?  Back in April 2013, I had a week like that. I was heading out on Friday for a retreat about 2 hours away from my home and had to get a special work project done before I left. By Thursday at 6:30 pm, the project was only 50% complete. I knew I had to work a little longer that night to give myself time to finish everything up on Friday. At the time I worked from home so it was easy for me to continue working after dinner or when everyone else has gone to bed.

That night, I went back to my office and continued to work. Needless to say, I saw the circumstance as something so unachievable. I didn’t even pray and ask Jesus for help.  I just went about my business on my own.  WHY DO I DO THIS?  Every time I try to do things on my own, I get anxious…stressed…doubtful. I had given Satan a chance to come in and start whispering “You’re never going to get this done. You should just give up. Tell them you can’t do it…the task is too impossible.”

Satan wants to come into our lives and “steal, kill and destroy” everything (John 10:10).

Friday morning, the anxiety continued to grow. I had no time to even spend a few minutes with Jesus (mistake number one) so Satan continued to spew his lies. The anxious pain in my chest was intensifying. I pushed back in my chair away from my work several time to take a deep breath….but did I call on Jesus? Did I take a few minutes to refocus by reading a verse or two or listening to Praise and Worship music? NOPE…sure didn’t.

I was completely empty…and because of this, I had a self-defeating conversation “How are you going to pray for people this weekend when you can’t even pray for yourself?”

There I said it. “I have nothing to give.”

By 4 pm the knock at the door told me my ride had arrived. “Yikes! I need to get everything submitted.” Finishing my very last read through, I took a deep breath and sent the document on its way. For the next hour and a half I worried about the document and how it would be received by my boss.

We arrived at the retreat training 10 minutes late. We found our seats and I tried to listen to the facilitator. I was still empty and my heart was still racing in my chest. Again a defeatist conversation was going on in my head. “See here you are and you’re still now in any position to pray for anyone. Why did you even bother getting in the car?” Taking a series of deep breaths, I tried to focus. Nothing was working – my mind was in 100 different directions.

Have you ever been at this place where you need to focus on something but your mind is all jumbled? For me that weekend, I was beating myself up because my sole purpose for being there was to pray for other people. But God had a lesson in store for me.

During our prayer time that night, I finally asked Jesus for help. “Forgive me Father. I haven’t given you this burden I’ve been carrying this week. It’s been so hard for me to focus. I am sorry I didn’t ask you for help. I can’t do one thing without you. Please fill me Lord with you so I can serve you this weekend.”

Instantly, I felt peace. I felt free with not a care in the world except that of compassion for the people I’d be praying for the next day.

God never ceases to amaze me. He’s right there waiting for us to cry out to Him in our darkest hour. He wants to give us His peace in exchange for our heavy burdens. That night was a huge turning point for me. In just that one moment of prayer I recognized when I’m stressed or anxious about anything if I stop and pray and ask God to take it all away He is so faithful to take my stress and give me his perfect peace. I know that in my head…sometimes it just takes a while to get to my heart.