Devotionals for the Heart: Thoughts about Jesus Christ as our Messiah

“I Thirst”
A devotional by Chaplain Paul Anderson

“After this, Jesus knowing that all things were now accomplished, that the scripture might be fulfilled, saith, I thirst.” –John 19:28 (KJV)

This simple verse of scripture is full of wisdom, spiritual depth and assurance.

It first speaks of Messianic fulfillment. Jesus Christ became Messiah to fulfill the law and to be the typological fulfillment of the visions that the prophets of old intoned. Jesus may well have been quoting Psalm 69:20 where the psalmist was beseeching the Lord to hear of his plight and intercede in his behalf, with his marauding adversaries. Under real persecution the psalmist says that the enemies had reproached and dishonored him.

Reproachment comes in many different ways. Subtle marginalization, economic distancing, othering, then physical assaults. The psalmist pled his case before God: They have broken my heart, depressed my psyche and left me pitiful. They served me soured mush made with bile. When I thirsted they gave me vinegar to drink. It was so bitter that my head shook reflexively in disgust, and they laughed at me.

When Jesus hung, crucified, dehydrated, bruised and helpless, His persecutors treated Him with disdain and reproachment of historical reflection. He was reminded of the psalmist cry. Bearing the sins of the world and making right the wrongs of sin, he even took on that burden and said, “I thirst.” They lifted a sponge to His mouth after soaking it in a vat of cheap wine mixed with vinegar and water. When He took it, He carried the pain, shame and inequities of life for every one of us, all the way to the cross.

Christ fulfilled a prophecy showing that He knows where we are and what is going on around us. He fulfilled a prophecy assuring us that He can fulfill the purposes that were coded into our DNA.

The second concept is that because of the brutality that he had endured, Christ was physically parched and thirsty. There is no physical need that is more compelling than thirst. You can be hungry and last awhile without food. Your other sense may at times cry for fulfillment, but none will drive you quite like thirst.

In your thirsts, know that there is no temptation, no unmet need or desire that Christ has not felt (1 Corinthians 10:13). He feels what we feel and have felt. He knows how compelling loneliness can be. He knows about physical pain and desire. He knows about emotional distance and isolation. He knows about unmet expectations and unfulfillment. He carried that to the cross too, yet without sin!

Take hope and be encouraged by Christ that you too can overcome the world, including your own body, and be victorious through Christ who strengthens us.

Through it all, God was with His Son Jesus Christ. You can have that same assurance that God is with you and you can come through the challenge victorious. It may involve pain, isolation, or deprivation, but on the other side is validation, vindication and salvation.

I would like to think that when Jesus shouted into the swirling winds of dark, demonic presence as He hung dying on the Cross, He was declaring His victory over sin, death and the grave. He was claiming his victor’s cup and taking to himself the bride of Christ, His church of which we are members.

Christ’s words, “I thirst” were the intonation for all time that Jesus won and has redeemed us, not just for yesterday, but for tomorrow, and for all time and I just want to say, “Thank you, Lord!”

Let’s Pray: Thank you Lord for saving my soul. Thank you Lord for making me whole. Thank you Lord for giving to me, Thy great salvation so rich and free! To God be the glory! In Jesus’s Name I pray, Amen.

~*~
Author Bio:

Chaplain Anderson served for 20 years as a U.S. Navy Chaplain. Over 26 years of active duty, he was promoted through the ranks from Seaman Apprentice (E2) to his final rank as Commander (O5) in the Chaplain’s Corps.

Prior to his Naval career, Chaplain Anderson pastored in the Allegheny East and Potomac Conferences of Seventh-day Adventists. His undergraduate preparation for ministry was completed at Washington Adventist University in Takoma Park, Md.

He has subsequently earned four graduate degrees: a Master of Divinity from Andrews University in Michigan, a Master of Education in Counseling and Personnel Services from the University of Maryland in College Park, Maryland and a Masters of Sacred Theology in Religion and Culture from Boston University. His Doctor of Ministry degree was conferred by Wesley Theological Seminary in Washington, D.C.

Chaplain Anderson also completed four units of Clinical Pastoral Education at Walter Reed Army Medical Center. He also holds certifications in Suicide Awareness and Prevention, Civil Mediation, Alternative Workplace Dispute Resolution, Temperament Analysis, Marriage Enrichment, Workforce Diversity, and is a certified Life Coach.

Devotionals for the Heart: For the Lonely on Valentine's Day

Rejected Love
A devotional by Wade Webster

And the LORD said to Samuel: “Listen to all that the people are saying to you; it is not you they have rejected, but they have rejected me as their king.” 

–1 Samuel 8:7 (NIV)

The season of love is upon us. At least that's what Valentine's Day means to many folks. But for some of us it's just another day, or one we'd rather skip altogether.

I remember vividly the day of April 14, 2015. I had to have my wife sign our tax forms for what would be the last time we filed jointly. She had moved out over a year prior to this. I was doing my best to pursue her to no avail. Divorce was imminent even though there were no biblical grounds for it. I did the best I could to offer my love to her. I couldn't force her to accept it.

A month and a half earlier I gave a eulogy at my mom's funeral for my six siblings. It was excruciating. I had to hold off my remorse while I traveled from Texas back to Michigan. Then while I prepared my talk. I finally found a moment of semi-solitude in the church during the viewing before the funeral service. The tears and anguish flowed for the woman who gave me life and then devoted her life to her seven kids and her husband who passed on eleven years before her.

I went for a stroll in my neighborhood that evening after I talked to my wife. Grief was mounting again from this loss. This loss that seemed so unfair and unnecessary. Fortunately, I was next to a wooden fence when the grief wave struck. I leaned into the barrier and let the tears flow. They tasted just like the ones at my mom's funeral.

I knew God was with me, as he always is. When I walked a half a block away a thought struck me so I asked God a question. “Is this what you feel like when somebody rejects you?”

The prophet Samuel felt this same rejection when the Hebrews requested a king to replace him. The sting was personal until God assured him that it wasn't directed at Samuel but God himself. When we tell others about the amazing gift God offers through his Son, Jesus Christ, don't take it personally when they reject it. It's not you they're rejecting. They're rejecting God.

For those of you who have a special someone in your life, enjoy this time of love like there's no tomorrow, because there might not be one. Also keep in mind those of us traveling alone at this time in our lives. We long for love, too.

The sting of rejection and loss can be unbearable at times. Give us some encouragement by letting us know we're still important to you. Give us some of your time. Pray for us to draw closer to God during this test in our lives.

~*~
Author Bio: 

Wade Webster lives with is best friend (Jesus Christ) in Plano, Texas. 

His main source of income comes from driving trucks. 

He has a part-time job painting houses on the side...and the front and back and inside. 

He's the author of a book titled 100 Prayers of a Writer.

Connect with him via his official website, wadewebster.com. 

Thankful Thursdays: God is with me

It’s Thursday and I’m thankful for the fact that God is with me!

All of yesterday (Wednesday, May 29) was filled with worry, anxiety and depression for me. I woke up with a million things on my mind, rushed into my activities for that day and returned home even more upset.

There were moments when I calmed down after talking to a few God-fearing sister-in-Christ friends but as soon as our conversation was over, the anxiety picked up again. I was so overwhelmed about several serious, real-life situations that I could barely see the light of day or any hope in the severity of it all. These situations have been on my mind a lot lately but on May 29 the thoughts of these crowded every ray of sunshine out of the picture.

A few hours before midnight, a counselor encouraged me to “tap into (my) spirituality” because they know that helps me. So I did. For the first time that day/evening/night, I opened my “True Identity” Bible and searched for Scriptures that would speak to my situation.

After spending time in God’s Word (The Holy Bible) and talking to Him through prayer, I felt better. As I closed my Bible, I started singing these words, “Sovereign in the mountain air/Sovereign on the ocean floor/With me in the calm/With me in the storm.” 

When I realized that these were words to a song that I first heard years ago, I immediately went to YouTube and typed in the first few words. The song “Sovereign” by the Contemporary Christian music artist Chris Tomlin showed up first in the search results. 

I selected the lyric video version and listened to it while I read the lyrics only to find that every single lyric spoke directly into my situation! These song lyrics silenced my worries and reminded me that I can trust God no matter what because He knows everything I need and He will always provide for me.

As the song faded out, I realized that God just spoke to me through it. I know it was His message for me that night not only because of the lyrics, but because of the fact that I hadn’t heard that song in years and had forgotten the lyrics until that night (May 29). I know that it’s not a coincidence that these lyrics came to mind after I spent time studying God’s Word!

It’s also important to note that before I started reading The Bible that night, I asked God to speak to me through His Word and He did, not only through Scripture but through the lyrics of that song reminding me that He is Sovereign.

The dictionary defines the word “sovereign” as “possessing supreme or ultimate power” and the synonyms to this word that stood out to me are “boundless,” “unrestricted” and “unrestrained.”

This definition applied to God, shows us that not only does He have the ultimate power over the entire universe and everything in it, it shows that His power is unrestricted, meaning that nothing and no one can stop what He wants to do!

God’s plans for your life and my life cannot be stopped. No one and nothing (not even the evil forces) in this world or the entire universe can stop Him from blessing you! So when God seems silent, just keep trusting Him and knowing that He is working together everything for your good (Romans 8:28) because He loves you (John 3:16) and He has GOOD plans for your life (Jeremiah 29:11)!

Be encouraged, dear friends with this: No matter what happens in human history on this planet Earth, the Creator of the Universe (God) is with you. He will NEVER leave you or forsake you (Hebrews 13:5) and His Son Jesus Christ (our Savior) says in John 16:33 that in this world we will have trouble but “take heart” because He (JESUS) has “overcome the world!”

Romans 8:31-39 (NIV) says that we are “more than conquerors” with Jesus Christ on our side! Let’s read the full passage:

“What, then, shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things? Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies. Who then is the one who condemns? No one. Christ Jesus who died—more than that, who was raised to life—is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? As it is written:

“For your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.”

No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, either height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

These Bible verses give me hope that no matter what happens in this life, God is with me. I hope that these verses give you that same hope.

Love,

Alexis A. Goring
Founder of “God is Love” blog

P.S._Here's the lyric video that I watched of the song "Sovereign" by Chris Tomlin:

Devotionals for the Heart: Holy Kisses

Holy Kisses
A devotional by Paula Moldenhauer

"Kiss me and kiss me again, for your love is sweeter than wine. How fragrant your cologne, and how pleasing your name! No wonder all the young women love you! Take me with you. Come, let’s run! Bring me into your bedroom, O my king."

~ Song of Solomon 1:2-4 (NLT)

“Burdens are lifted at Calvary. Calvary. Calvary. Burdens are lifted at Calvary. Jesus is very near.” A strong sense of the Lord’s care for me accompanied the old hymn* which played in my heart as I awoke.

The day before had held one minor disaster after the next, and I’d been discouraged, but now Jesus felt close. His presence gave me the confidence to face another day.

According to pastor and speaker Mike Bickle*, I experienced a divine kiss. He writes that the divine kiss is a metaphor for intimacy with Christ, and that those special moments we share are like kisses from the Groom to His bride—a divine blessing that is better than anything else life has to offer.

Bickle gets this idea from the Song of Solomon 1:2 which says, “Kiss me again and again, for your love is sweeter than wine” (NIV).

There are a lot of things in life I enjoy: Flowers, children’s laughter, a new dress, a long walk with my man, pretty things, and happy moments. But it really is true that the very deepest and best things in life are the kisses of the Bridegroom.

Infact some of the worst, most painful times have also been the best because my Bridegroom’s love was tangible. Attention from the Divine is better than anything mortal.

I love how the bride in the Song of Solomon begs her groom to kiss her “again and again.” She knows she needs His repeated attention. She craves intimacy. She longs to be held so close to her King that she can taste His sweetness and feel His breath upon her neck.

We all experience divine kisses. Sometimes they come as a song in the night. Other times they are a Bible verse that leaps off the page and into our soul. Perhaps the kiss comes in the form of a phone call at just the right moment. Or as a brush of the Savior’s lips as we gaze at a beautiful painting or the splendor of nature.

Jesus’ kisses are the expression of His love, His reassurance He is with us.

When have you experienced a divine kiss?

I’ve been guilty of brushing divine kisses off as coincidence, or I feel their tingle but rush on without slowing to savor and acknowledge them. It’s hard to believe the Creator of the Universe offers that kind of personal attention, so we reason away the very kisses He offers to awaken our hearts to Him.

Even as we start to believe He offers personal attention, we’re sometimes afraid. If you’re like me you can find it scary to enter into intimate human relationships, much less one with the Divine. Who knows what deeper relationship with God will bring or require?

Even though I know God is love and has only my best in mind, I’ve resisted intimacy. Thankfully the Bridegroom is patient and wise and gentle. When I pull back, the Lord slows down the progression of our relationship to give me time to learn to trust Him. He’s good like that. He knows my heart and never ravages it.

He knows yours too.

Our sweet Jesus waits until His tender bride realizes her longing for more of Him. “Kiss me again and again!” She cries then. “Your kisses are better than anything else!”

When we cry for intimacy, the Groom can’t resist our devotion. He comes running and showers us with kisses. Our hearts open to Him in joy.

Prayer: Jesus, please help me to know and trust Your love more every day.

*"Burdens Are Lifted at Calvary” by John Moore

**Song of Songs, The Ravished Heart of God: A verse-by-verse study guide by Mike Bickle

~*~
Author Bio:

Author, speaker, and mom of four, Paula Moldenhauer encourages others to live free to flourish. She shares this message when speaking at women’s events, and it permeates her written work. Paula has published over 300 times in non-fiction markets and has a devotional book series, Soul Scents. 

Her first published novella, You’re a Charmer Mr. Grinch, was a finalist in the ACFW Carol Awards, and she now has six published works of fiction. Her most recent release is included in A Bouquet of Brides. Paula and her husband, Jerry, are adjusting to a sometimes-empty nest in Colorado. They treasure time with their growing family of adult children, spouses, and spouses-to-be. 

Paula loves peppermint ice cream, going barefoot, and adventuring with friends. Today’s devotion was adapted from her devotional book, Soul Scents: Rooted. Visit her at www.paulamoldenhauer.com.

*Paula is offering a free five-week devotion for the weeks leading up to the celebration of Christ's resurrection. Visit www.paulamoldenhauer.com/gifts to download your copy of Soul Scents: Selections for Easter.

Words of Faith: God Is With Us

God Is With Us
A Words of Faith story written by Cara Putman

"When you go through deep waters, I will be with you. When you go through rivers of difficulty, you will not drown. When you walk through the fire of oppression, you will not be burned up; the flames will not consume you."~Isaiah 43:2 (NLT) 

I want to walk through life without fear. To walk with the sure knowledge that God is with me. He. Is. With. Me.

Much of my life, I have known this to the core of who I am. In fact, this knowledge is foundational to who I am. If you read my novels, you will see that ultimately they come back to this point. That God is with us.

My characters learn that in some way.

I’ve had to learn that in some deep, real way. The way that strips the candy coating from my faith and digs deeply into the bedrock of my beliefs.

Eight years ago I had a miscarriage. Prior to that I would have said life had challenges, but it was nothing God and I couldn’t handle. Much of it was the kind of thing I could handle on my own. I’d thank God for His provision, I’d ask for His leading and His direction, but there had been very few times where I had been pushed so far beyond what I could endure that I didn’t know how to find myself. 

Here, let my words from 2010, a few months after my second miscarriage, illustrate how shattering these events were:

I’m on a quest to restore my heart.

The miscarriages have caused a piece of my heart to break. And while I want to grieve fully and completely—and some would tell you a tad too much—I don’t want to live with heartbreak.

I want to live where the sight of a pregnant woman doesn’t remind me that I’m not 7 1/2 months pregnant right now. Where the learning that another relative or friend is pregnant doesn’t pierce through my heart with another reminder that I have another little one waiting for me. That there isn’t the pain of separation. Of what ifs. Of what might have beens.

Each day I think I get a bit closer.

Then there’s an anniversary of a loss or a due date.

Or I simply go to Chick-Fil-A and see a pregnant woman or someone with an infant. And I smile as my eyes fill with tears. So if you see me like that, know I am fighting back even while my heart breaks again.

That’s where I lived. But I wrestled it to the ground with God. I had to know that when I was curled up in the closet with so much pain that I didn’t know what to do, that God was there. I had to believe that He would somehow use the pain for His good. He has.

If you’re in the midst of your own pain right now (so many of my friends and loved ones are walking such hard journeys right now), know that God is there. He never leaves. He never forsakes us. Jesus endured that, so we wouldn’t have to.

So if you can’t feel Him, look up. Look out. You will find Him. And He can put your broken heart back together again.

~*~

Author bio:

Cara C. Putman, the award-winning author of 20 books and three repackages with more books on the way, is madly racing toward deadline with her first legal romantic suspense for Harper Collins Christian Fiction. 

She graduated high school at 16, college at 20, and completed her law degree at 27. First for Women Magazine called Shadowed by Grace “captivating” and a "novel with the works." It received the Christian Retailing BEST Award for Historical Fiction and the HOLT Award of Distinction. 

Cara is active at her church and a lecturer on business and employment law and communications to graduate students at Purdue University’s Krannert School of Management. Putman received her JD from George Mason School of Law and her Master’s in Business Administration at Krannert. 

She serves on the executive board of American Christian Fiction Writers (ACFW), an organization she has served in various roles since 2007. Putman also practices law and is a second-generation homeschooling mom. She lives with her husband and four children in Indiana. 

~*~

Connect with Cara:

Website - www.caraputman.com
Facebook - www.facebook.com/caraputman
Twitter - www.twitter.com/cara_putman
Pinterest - www.pinterest.com/caraputman
Goodreads - www.goodreads.com/CaraPutman

Thankful Thursday: God's Blessings

It's Thursday and I'm thankful for God's blessings! 

My reflections today will be short and sweet:

God blesses me and you in so many wonderful ways, whether we know it or not.

He's always there for us. He provides for our very need. He takes joy in seeing us happy and content in His provision.

God showers me with His blessings in so many wonderful ways! He gives me the gift of time. He's blessed me with family who cares and true friends who are there for me. God surprises me sometimes with unexpected blessings (those are the best)!

My gratitude for all God's blessings tonight are beyond words.

All I can say to you is, listen to the song "Give Thanks" (see video above this message), then spend time reflecting on what God has done for you and give thanks! :)

Take care and God bless you!

Sincerely,

Alexis

Devotional by Mary Manners: Under Construction

My dear friend Mary Manners returns to the blog today to share her heart with you! She's written a wonderful devotional called "Under Construction." It inspired me and I hope it serves as a source of inspiration for you too! :)

~*~
Under Construction
A devotional written by Mary Manners

“Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.” ~ Hebrews 13:8 (NIV)

My husband and I recently decided to turn our back yard to an oasis with the addition of an in-ground pool. As the backhoes moved in to break ground, scooping the earth into mounds of sun baked dirt that rival Mount Everest, I realized that the pool-building process has a lot in common with the road I’m walking…life.

My life’s journey has been an adventure. As I approach the close of my fifty-first year, I realize how precious each moment has become. My daughter entered college three years ago and we’re in a period of countless transitions. The child I once drove to basketball practice and choir rehearsal now chauffeurs me. I have learned, depending on the day (sometimes even the hour), that I know nothing…and everything.

My husband has retired (well…partially) and that has tremendously altered our daily routine. He’s become the chief cook and bottle washer while I trek off to my day job as an assistant principal at our local intermediate school. I hope to join him in partial retirement (I will always be a full-time writer at heart) within the next few years.

Recently, a college friend of mine sent a photo that was snapped our sophomore year (1982). Looking at the photo, I thought my daughter was staring back at me. Was I ever that young, thin and…unwrinkled? My daughter took one glance at the picture and gasped, “Mama, is that really you?” as if I could have never—possibly—been that smiling young woman in the snapshot. And, after a good laugh, I thought about the passage of time and how happy and truly blessed I am to continue down the path that remains…under construction.

So, when your life journey takes you through a period of transition that seems scary and unsure, remember that God is ever-faithful and never-changing. He is right there at your side, today and always.

Thankful Thursday: The Gift of Life

It's Thursday and I am thankful for the gift of life because God got me through what could have been a much worse car accident. Let me explain: Today, I was driving to different towns within the county for which I cover news as the Editor and a Reporter for the newspaper.

I made it my business to go to most if not all of the towns within the county in order to introduce myself as the new editor and get story ideas from the community and so far, I was doing great. After my fourth visit, I was on my way to a very small town and to get there, you need to take a gravel road. Now I was used to driving at a normal speed on the paved roads and I did not drastically reduce my speed once on the gravel road because it seemed as well-kept as the paved roads and I thought the weather conditions were good-- it was a bright and sunny day, I didn't see mud over the gravel and definitely no ice or snow-- so I thought everything was okay and for the first 10 minutes of driving on the gravel road everything truly was okay until suddenly, for a reason of which I still cannot figure out, my car started swerving, it was mild at first but rapidly accelerated to the point where no matter what I did to try to regain control, it had lost it and before I knew it, I was crashing into a wire fence, my car spun around and came to an abrupt halt.

Now the good news is plenty: 1) I was driving by myself so I didn't have to worry about anyone else getting hurt (2) I did not get hurt (3) The scene of the car wreck was on an old road with farmland on either side of it so it was a lot safer (4) No one else was driving on the road at the time of my accident.

The bad news is, I did not demonstrate  faith in God (apart from screaming "God help me" multiple times as my car was in the process of swerving off the road and crashing). And I say that because as soon as I stepped out of my car and walked around it, inspecting the damages, I knew that this was going to cost more than I could afford to be fixed. So then I started stressing out and crying out to God. My conversation with God in the middle of nowhere (literally) went something like this, "Another car accident? (I got into one back home, before moving to work as the editor of the newspaper). Why God? I just prayed this morning for traveling mercies and no more car accidents and you let THIS happen? What's the point of praying to you to keep me out of car accidents if it's not going to happen?" and "How am I going to pay for this extensive damage? I get paid less than first-year teachers! My budget is already stretched thin! How in the world am I going to afford to get this fixed?" and "What are you doing God? Am I being punished? Did I choose the wrong career? Maybe I should have just studied for a career that was reliable and pays a lot of money! Sure I would be miserable but at least I would have all of my needs and wants taken care of financially!" and "Where are you?" and "Are you listening to me?" "Please send someone to help me" and then when I found out that my phone could not make calls from the middle of nowhere because there was no reception, I really let God have it, "Are you just going to leave me out here?" (it was only a few hours before sunset when this accident happened and I was worried) "Why are you SILENT?!"

Now again, the good news is, God is NOT afraid of HONEST PRAYERS (Hebrews 4:16) in other words, He didn't (and wouldn't) strike me dead for confessing how I was truly feeling at the moment. And while I did not hear God reply to me, about 20 minutes later, a pickup truck was driving toward me and I waved frantically, asking for help. The driver of the pickup truck rolled down his window, I told him my story (the short version) and he turned his truck around and helped me out by using his pliers out of his toolbox (he was a professional plumber) to detach the wires that were tangled beneath and through the ripped bumper of my car. When I started up my car and it still would not move off the road, he got behind the wheel and moved it onto the road for me. He then told me that it seems safe to drive and so I thanked him (profusely), got into my car and started to drive the 1.5 hour trip into the town where I work. But only 10 minutes into the drive, my car started making very weird noises and so there I was demanding that God get me home safely, "Just answer this prayer, would you?" were my specific words. But then, common sense kicked in and I decided five minutes later upon approaching the small town from which I had driven out from toward the gravel road, to park my car in the lot of a nice roadside cafe, went inside the establishment and after introducing myself, asked to use their phone to call my office.

So I called the office and they told me that they received my e-mail (it was the only feature on my phone that worked out there in the middle of nowhere) and sent 911 personnel to help. No sooner than I hung up the phone, a police officer drove into the parking lot. So I went outside, told him the story and he called my towing company. Next a state trooper arrived and asked me questions, filled out paperwork and visited the scene of the accident. While the trooper was away to access the damage to the property in the middle of nowhere, I called my insurance company and talked to an agent who was very professional and very sympathetic. "That must have been scary" she said as I explained the accident. After hearing my story and getting the necessary information, what she told me next made me cry (I had not cried in front of the  people in the cafe, at the accident yes but not around the people sent to help me). What the insurance agent told me was simply a part of her job but I heard God speaking through her words as my mind drew an instant parallel when she said, "I might be silent for a moment but I am right here."And there it was, my object lesson not just for today's ordeal but for life: God may be silent, but He is still right here, with you.

Ever since moving to the West to work in Journalism, my mom has told me whenever she talks with me over the phone four words which she told me to remember before I flew out here to work, words to say everyday in a prayer. And those words are, "God be with me."

And it made me cry because while I was ranting and raving, stressing out completely, worried sick and demonstrating absolutely no faith in God and His promise to provide for my every need, God was right there, patiently waiting for me to see that no matter what happens in this life and it seems like He is silent, He is right here, with me.

So yes, on this Thursday I am very thankful that God saw fit to continue giving me the gift of life when the car accident could have been much worse. My gratitude runs deep and I pray that my faith grows strong to the point when it is tested, it soars (meaning, I ace the test). :)

My prayer for all of you is that you, if you do not already, will come to realize this: 

(1) God is REAL 

(2) God is LOVE 

(3) GOD is HERE WITH YOU.

Love,
Alexis