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The Hummingbirds’ Lesson

Posted by NormaGail on Sep 19, 2011 | 1 comment

“And my God will meet all your needs according to His glorious riches in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:19

Hummingbirds should be as beautiful and perfect as they look. They’re not.

I enjoy watching them at the feeders at my mountain home, but I have been struck by how similar they are to me and the people around me. I see these beautiful little jewels of God’s creation as greedy little creatures. Each one wants everything all to itself, no matter how much there is.

When threatened they go after each other in amazing aerial acrobatics, performing all kinds of intricate moves to make the others go away. They squawk and fuss at each other making quite a racket.

I can be just like that when I forget I don’t really have a clue what God considers His perfect best for me. To my shame I have, more than once tried to force my own way when surrendering to God’s would have accomplished everything without strife and intricate maneuverings on my part.

The sovereignty of God is always at work. It’s not about me—it’s about Him, His plan and His purpose. My plans are temporary—His are eternal. My perceived needs are purely selfish. His knowledge of my needs is perfect. If I truly seek God each day and determine to accept whatever comes as being from His gracious hand, sufficient in every way, I am so much happier.

Everything He allows me to experience is necessary for maturing me and bringing my faith to completion. When I stop striving for what I want and accept what He sends I can feel His peace. I cease the maneuvering and fussing. I squawk less and hum more.

I want to be in the center of God’s plan, accepting what He sends into my life without complaint. I want His peace so even when I don’t understand, I can accept His best for my life.

What steals your peace? What situations make you maneuver and complain?

Determine today to give those things to God and see what He will do. Choose to trust Him to always have your best in mind. He will give you more than you ever imagined out of His glorious riches.

Do not use without permission of the author.

Such Things Must Happen

Posted by NormaGail on Sep 12, 2011 | Comments Off on Such Things Must Happen

“…but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen… Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places. All these are the beginning of birth pains… Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come.” Matthew 24:6-8, 42

Yesterday our nation commemorated the tenth anniversary of 9/11, the most significant and deadly terror attack on American soil ever. In the past few weeks there have been headlines capable of shaking the calm of the most committed and believing Christian: credible 9/11 threats by Al Qaeda, tropical storms in the south, a hurricane in the east creating flooding and massive power outages following closely on the heels of a rare 5.8 earthquake, financial woes as unemployment reaching the highest levels in years with zero jobs created in August, wildfires destroying large areas of the southwest in the grips of a terrible drought, frightening volatility in stock markets around the world, and Mt. Etna threatening a major eruption, just to name a few.

The age of innocence is gone. No more playing until after dark without scaring mom, no more parking bicycles on the front porch with no fear of theft, no more leaving front doors unlocked all day. We will never be the same. No more feeling like we live in the most secure country in the world.

I remember 9/11 as clearly as it was yesterday—watching in horror as the second plane hit the TwinTowers on television and then receiving a phone call that my daughter’s school was being evacuated because of its proximity to a Federal facility. I drove in fear to pick her up in a frustrating round-about fashion, being re-routed more than once because of street closings around the Federal building.

We don’t know what will take place from one day to the next in our world, but as Christians we can be assured all of these things are under the control of our God. Jesus warned of times like these and said not to be alarmed.

So what strikes fear in your heart? Do you have deep fears about the future?

If you have accepted Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior you can be certain you will be safe in Him—no matter what happens in our world.

Wait A Minute, God!

Posted by NormaGail on Sep 5, 2011 | Comments Off on Wait A Minute, God!

“Now to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine…”

Ephesians 3:20a

I got the exact opposite of what I prayed for. I was so certain I was praying exactly as God led me to. I prayed fervently and with absolute certainty God would answer. He did—but not in the way I thought. I was disappointed, confused, kind of angry and very sad.

My response was, “Wait a minute, God, what are you doing here? Didn’t you hear what I just prayed? Are you not listening?”

Slowly it began to dawn on me, I had been here before. I didn’t like it then either, but I had learned something. If I am praying something that is in line with the word of God and for Him to receive the glory, I am praying correctly. So what if things seem to take a turn in the opposite direction?

God has His own unique way of doing things and doesn’t always take the most direct, or the simplest route to get there. His ways are beyond my understanding. His thoughts are so much higher than mine as to be indecipherable to me. So it stands to reason I would sometimes be baffled by His methods.

Does that mean He isn’t working? Absolutely not!

I recently experienced a situation where I felt as if I was watching events unfold on a movie screen, a story with plots, subplots, character development and precise, down-to-the-second timing with an outcome no one involved could have predicted. God is always in control.

He is sovereign. Everything which takes place is in His time, in His way, for His purpose and to His glory.

Who am I to say things aren’t working as they should? It may not be my way, but even that is to my benefit as I have been known to make royal messes of things.

What are you praying for? How great and unwavering is your belief that God can and will accomplish in spite of all obstacles?

Look at your circumstances, whatever they may be, and tell God you recognize His control. Believe in His ability to accomplish His best purposes. Determine to accept that He is capable of working in even the most impossible looking situation and do more than you ever asked or imagined.

Catch the Vision

Posted by NormaGail on Aug 29, 2011 | Comments Off on Catch the Vision

“I thank my God every time I remember you. In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus” Philippians 1:3-6.

The building wasn’t even a church. An old gray metal building in need of a coat of paint stood on one of the busiest streets in the city. Inside it was old carpet, walls patched with paint of varying shades of grayish white and not enough fluorescent tubes for good light. One hallway led in and out of the gym, converted on Sunday’s to an auditorium.

The pastor, a man we had known many years before, came forward and greeted us warmly. Our preteen children saw a familiar face or two among the 80 or 90 people present. Everyone was friendly.

When the youth pastor announced “Mud Olympics” for the following week, our kids begged to attend and we readily agreed. The competition stretched into two weeks and by then there was a guest speaker we wanted to hear. We liked the pastor. He was and sincere. Love and warmth flowed from him.

We stayed, dealing with crowding as it grew. We put up with no kitchen facilities, the youth in a room fondly referred to as “the stinky clothes room” where the YWCA, from whom we rented our small space, stored donations.

Everyone came and went through one crowded hallway. Chairs were set up before the service and taken down after. There was no stage. A keyboard, guitar and tambourine served as a praise band.

Gradually we were able to buy the building and move walls around. There was never enough room and always a lot of work, but there was love. Visitors noted the warmth and joy of the congregation. Missions were important, though we had little to spare.

The key to making things work? God was present in the hearts and lives of the people. That ugly gray building was filled to overflowing with love.

Now on some of the most desired land in the city, that old building still stands, attractively painted with signs facing the busy street. Next to it is a fine new building with a state of the art auditorium.

Where has God called you to serve Him? Is it a mega-church or simply a small congregation hoping to grow?

Catch the vision. Make a difference. Allow God to carry the good work He has begun in you through to completion in the place He has called you to serve.

Yet I Will Rejoice

Posted by NormaGail on Aug 22, 2011 | Comments Off on Yet I Will Rejoice

“Yet I will wait patiently…though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will be joyful in God my Savior.” Habakkuk 3:16b-18

I tend to be a worrier. I also tend to be a perfectionist. Together they can be a very bad combination.

I like things to be the way I want, when I want and if circumstances don’t cooperate then I get down and cry a lot. Almost any given situation can be the end of the world to me. I can accept that God allows things for His purposes. However, I don’t do very well with accepting His timing for resolving the situation.

A friend once said there was a crisis in my life every week, or sometimes every day of the week. It’s not supposed to be like that for the Christian. If I leave my prayer time and don’t feel at peace I have not left my burdens at the feet of Jesus. I tend to talk to Him a while, pick up my burdens and walk away with them. If I truly trust Him to take care of them I will be able to walk away at peace.

I have a hand-painted clock which has hung in my kitchen for thirty-five years. It says, “God’s Timing is Perfect.” I wonder how many times I have looked at it and read those words and never let them sink in.

Joseph was seventeen years old when he was sold into slavery in Egypt. According to the notes in the margin of my Bible, it was about twenty-three years before his father and brothers moved to Egypt with their families. Twenty-three years that he waited and all the while his father thought he was dead. The woman in John 8 had been “subject to bleeding for twelve years.” Both are very long times to wait for a prayer to be answered.

Habakkuk talks about a time when nothing was going right, yet he said he would wait patiently; he would rejoice in the Lord and be joyful. His words are worth learning from.

What prayer are you waiting to have answered and despairing over? Do you leave your prayer time and still feel anxious?

Choose today to leave the burden at Jesus’ feet when you leave your time of prayer. Choose to trust not only that He will do it, but that He will do it at the right time. Choose to go on your way rejoicing.

God Remembered

Posted by NormaGail on Aug 15, 2011 | Comments Off on God Remembered

“And Noah did all that the Lord commanded him…And Noah and his sons and his wife and his sons’ wives entered the ark to escape the waters of the flood…Then the Lord shut him in…But God remembered Noah…” Genesis 7:5, 7, 16 & 8:1

My husband was without a job. I needed major surgery. Our three-year-old daughter needed surgery. It was a time of uncertainty.

We were following the Lord, serving Him and giving faithfully, but times of trouble still came. I remember so clearly when my husband walked through the door with a box of his things at lunchtime and said he was going back to clean out his office. His boss had told him he was no longer needed. We had two small children and we weren’t certain what we were going to do.

We were blessed that my husband had been meticulous about saving, but we didn’t know how long the money would have to last. Having big medical bills on top of the usual expenses didn’t help any.

A favorite Bible study leader of mine calls times like this “Noah’s Ark experiences.” Yes, Noah and his family were all safe within the ark while “all the springs of the great deep burst forth, and the floodgates of the heavens opened…” The waters raged without and rose above the mountain tops and it was probably not exactly smooth sailing. It must have been downright frightening at times.

Sometimes we are allowed to go through rough storms in life and there is nothing to do but ride it out trusting in the promises of God.

I am certain a part of the comfort Noah’s family had was remembering God, Himself, had shut the door. They knew He had put them into the ark and trusted He would save them. They really didn’t have much choice.

Sometimes we do have the choice of whether or not to trust God to bring us safely through our storms. We can get ourselves in real messes when we decide to go it on our own.

We have to learn that when God shuts the door, He isn’t shutting us in and Himself out. He is in there with us. After several months God brought us out of our storm and provided everything we needed in the midst of it.

What storm are you facing?

This world is full of uncertainties, but we can be certain God is with us. He will remember us. Whatever your situation, choose to believe God is right there with you and will bring you through safely.