BACK ON TRACK
Richard Harris
Today's Scripture: “My heart is in anguish within me; the terrors of death have fallen upon me.” Psalm 55:4, ESV
Theme: When we can't always handle the anguish, terrors, and other evils that fall upon us, placing God as the subject of our desire will bring peace.
MAKING THE CONNECTION
My relationship with God has always been a particularly important part of my life. This is something my grandmother instilled in me as a youngster. My Lord was my “go-to” when things would go awry. Notice I said “go-to.” Many times, it was not God who was my guide. I had led a faithful life, but not in the way of Psalm 37:4, delighting myself in Him. My anxieties and anguish seemed so real, back then. In hindsight, I was turning personal worries into little dramatic episodes of distress. Childhood fears can be as real as adult fears. When I was a child, big prayers seemed like an adult task. I trusted the adults to manage those worldly prayers. I would simply ask God to fix things for me … or make them go away.
It took the death of my loving wife, Suzan, to change my focus from trusting in my own accomplishments to trusting completely in my Lord. Folks, it wasn’t easy. Those stages of grief are real. I must admit, it took a little help. My heart desired my wife back. I knew that was never going to be part of God’s plan.
Through some great spiritual advice, I found my true way to my Lord. God used my pain to draw me back to Him in a much richer way. The Lord wanted me to focus on Him. He wanted me to understand His ways and words. He wanted my heart to hold more than grief and to house a desire for His redemptive Son. He desired my committed love … and He received it … 14 August 2022, when the desires of my heart met His. That is the day of my baptism, where I invited Jesus to be my personal Lord and Savior. How did it feel? Delightful! At seventy-five years of age, I got it! It’s never too late to connect. Now, when things go either awry -- or spot on perfect, I immediately go to my Lord.
The death, and recovery from the grief of Suzan’s passing was my most recent anguish-based emotional chapter; resolved through placing God as the subject of my desire for peace. Until now …
A PAINFUL WORLD
I now feel that deep distress returning as I watch news reports. Terror, and anguish, seems to be everywhere. I do not need a favored news resource to show me the perils to which innocent human beings are being exposed. We have gotten numb over the human atrocities in North Korea. We look away from the treatment of minorities in certain countries. Afghanistan is a mess, but it is not our diplomatic problem anymore (it remains a point in my prayers). We have watched the Russian-Uranian war now for two years, from a distance. Innocents, in all places, need sincere prayers regardless of their religious beliefs. So now, our attention turns to Israel and Hamas. Total all-out war, with civilian casualties.
BUT GOD
Some say football is violent … that injuries happen. It is taken for granted as part of the game. But we saw something extraordinary last year. A football player died on the field. His heart stopped. The violence suddenly dissipated, as both teams went into prayer mode. God was the group desire at that moment. I too, from home, joined in with fervent supplications to my Lord. Tears ran from my eyes when I witnessed a recovery. The game went on. Thank You, God.
In the Israel/Gaza area, there are millions of innocents living in terror. Can both sides envision a win-win scenario? We all pray to the same God. From our love of the Lord, and all humankind, can we please pray in unison for a peaceful resolution to all conflicts. Can all opposing factions pause the game long enough to help the injured?
OUR DESIRES
As the subject and focus of our earthly desires change and grow towards trusting the Lord, the evils of this world lose their power to overwhelm us. They may not diminish, but our faith and trust in the Lord must increase. We realize our way to Him is realized when our desires match His. This is a win – win, which can be defined as a situation or result that is good for all involved. When we delight in our Lord and in His will, He delights in us by providing the desires of our hearts, even through times of trouble or distress. When a win - win is achieved, our spirituality grows, and the strong bond with our Lord is strengthened.
Make It Personal: Let us commit all we do to the Lord. When we have a deep relationship with our God, we achieve a joy and satisfaction in Him that gives us peace.
Pray: Father, lead us to delight in Your ways. We pray that You will give us the desires of our hearts and sustain us when those trials and hardships come. Our human ways can be weak, Lord, compared to Your model of perfection. You have given us this earthly time to serve You. Help us to put You in the highest place. We recognize that your Son - our Savior, Christ Jesus - is the answer given for Your wonderful opportunity of everlasting life. That, Lord, is the desire of our hearts. In His Name I pray, amen.
Read: Psalm 37:4; Psalm 95:6; Matthew 22:37-40; John 4:23
Weekly Memory Verse: “No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.” 1 Corinthians 10:13, ESV