Living Untethered: Relinquishing Control to God

  “ I remember my affliction and my wandering, the bitterness and the gall. I well remember them, and my soul is downcast within me. Yet this I call to mind and therefore I have hope : Because of the Lord ’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. I say to myself, “The Lord is my portion; therefore I will wait for him.” The Lord is good to those whose hope is in him, to the one who seeks him; it is good to wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord . ” ( Lamentations 3:19–26 , NIV84) [Emphasis mine] I know I’ve said this before, but it bears repeating. If we refuse to acknowledge the tough things in our lives, we will not fully appreciate the blessings God brings. Don’t sweep your struggles under the “praise-the-Lord” carpet. Voice them out loud, admit them honestly before God and perhaps with a trusted friend. Now, pick them up and offer them to Jesus in a sacrifice of praise. Remember the ways in ...

  Joy of life, that’s what joie de vie means according to WordHippo. ‘Joie de vivre’ is similar and basically means the same thing with a bit more emphasis added: exuberant enjoyment of life (Google Dictionary). How is your joie de vie these days? A month ago, I was feeling that my province was a tinder box ready to explode with the slightest provocation. Now however, I feel as though the fight has been taken out of her. What’s the use? Our voices are falling on deaf ears. There is a sense of apathy or hopelessness, a ‘walking with arms hanging down’. We have lost our joie de vie. Paul of the Bible, in his letters to various churches of the day, mentions that at times he too lost his joie de vie. But…but he always comes back to the source of all joy, his relationship with Jesus the Christ. In the midst of deplorable circumstances, he does not deny that it sucks but he turns his eyes to Jesus every time. He, of anyone, has the authority to speak to our circumstances exhorting u...

  “ “Keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks, receives. Everyone who seeks, finds. And to everyone who knocks, the door will be opened. “You parents—if your children ask for a loaf of bread, do you give them a stone instead? Or if they ask for a fish, do you give them a snake? Of course not! So if you sinful people know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give good gifts to those who ask him. ” ( Matthew 7:7–11 , NLT) “ I tell you, you can pray for anything, and if you believe that you’ve received it, it will be yours. ” ( Mark 11:24 , NLT) “ You can ask for anything in my name, and I will do it, so that the Son can bring glory to the Father. Yes, ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it! ” ( John 14:13–14 , NLT)   Have you ever asked God for something and he seemed to not be listening? You...

  Psalm 136 has a phrase that is repeated after every statement. The Psalmist begins with this:                                                 “ Give thanks to the Lord , for he is good!                                                                                His faithful love endures forever. Psalm 136:1 NLT                               He mentions both good things and difficult things but always comes back to “his faithful love endures forever”. This inspired me to write my own ‘psalm of remembrance for 2020’. From January to December, we experienced the good, the bad, the u...