He is here - wherever you go

"Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous! Do not tremble or be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go" (Joshua 1:9, NASB).

In the midst of me digging into one of my first new year resolutions, God keeps reminding me to rest in Him and to remember Him. He is here.

Where are you today? He, our God, is here for all of us. He came to seek and to save the lost (Luke 19:10). When we seek Him, we will find Him (Matt. 7:7, Rev. 3:20).

He
How would you describe God?
He is present (Psalm 139:7-10).
His character is constant, He is faithful (James 1:17, 2 Timothy 2:13).
He is bread and living water - He gives strength and nourishment (John 6:35, John 4:7-42).

Is
As a verb, "is" reminds me that God's love is active.
Let's praise Him with our voices and with our lives. Let's share Him with our testimonies and with our hearts. Let's pray for a more active faith, because our Redeemer lives.

Here
What situation are you in? Whom have you come across this week?
He is here:

• for our friend and for the foreigner
• for the executive and for the busboy
• for the person we serve in volunteer efforts and for the widow on our street

He is here - here to save the world, to draw close to a world in need for more of Him. 

Our God manages the world and yet He makes time - He wants time - with each person He created. 

Let's share "He is here" with our hearts that crave more of Him, and let's share "He is here" with others who don't know Him yet as Lord and Savior.

He is here - wherever you go. Amen.

Great songs: "Be Still My Soul" by Page CXVI and "How Deep the Father's Love" by Page CXVI

Great passage: Isaiah 61:1-4

Trust in the Moment

"And those who know Your name will put their trust in You, for You, O Lord, have not forsaken those who seek You" (Psalm 9:10, NASB). 

Have you heard of a quarter-life crisis? It may sound like a stretch compared to the more widely known mid-life crisis, but I used it when I graduated from college. It made me laugh. After spending most of my life in school, I was trying to make sense of just what I was to do with myself. So, since I have already claimed the term for another time in my life, I am left with having to identify the current place I am in as I face another fork in the road.

There is something to be said of a quarter-life crisis. Moments will come and go. Yet - there is something about those moments. There is a purpose for each one.

As God's, He has a purpose for our lives and for life in general. As I think back on the times that I thought were meaningless, confusing or simply a mess, I remember Him being there. He has always been there, even if I didn't seem to want Him there. If I wasn't close to Him in those moments, then He was there to bring me closer to Himself. I just had to respond, lean in and trust Him. He was there to forgive me, or to point me where to go or to give me strength for the next step.

Kelli Martin

So, I don't know what to call this fork in the road, but that's okay. I've found peace remembering God is in control. He's got this.

Child of God, no matter what moment you are in, remember He is Immanuel, God with us. Not only that, but He's given His children the Holy Spirit to help us here on earth.

Let's lean in and look through heaven's eyes today and trust in Him. Let's see a world that also needs His forgiveness, presence and peace and be there to point them to Him, our life-giver.

We pray for the words to say

"'Do not worry about how or what you are to speak in your defense, or what you are to say; for the Holy Spirit will teach you in that very hour what you ought to say.'" -Luke 12:11b-12 (New American Standard Bible)

With the U.S. presidential elections approaching, I remembered an old video clip I saw once in high school with presidential bloopers. You can find a similar, more updated video at www.youtube.com - presidential bloopers video. Even our nation's leaders, who speak so often, can make mistakes in their speech. 

God asks believers to share Him and spread His good news, as we can read from Matthew 28:19-20, but sometimes we can wonder what exactly we would say. When God asked Moses to speak to Pharaoh, Moses was pretty raw in expressing his doubt that he was the man for the job. God pointed out that He is the Creator of all things - He made the mouth, and He gives people the ability to speak. He said, "'Now then go, and I, even I, will be with your mouth, and teach you what you are to say'" (Exodus 4:12, New American Standard Bible).

God asks us to trust Him and follow His lead. He will help us follow His will. As believers, God has given us the Holy Spirit to give us the words to say as we witness to who He is. So, there is no need to fear. When we are His, we are not walking alone. As we try to explain this relationship we have with Him to others, He will give us the words to say.

Lord, thanks for being Immanuel, God with us. Be with us as we explain who You are to others. Give us the words to say through Your Spirit. Amen.

Image - http://blog.keepstream.com

Study based on the workbook, HeartCall: Women Sharing God's Heart (Jaye Martin, 1999).

Immanuel, God with us

"Now all this took place to fulfill what was spoken by the Lord through the prophet:
'See, the virgin will become pregnant
and give birth to a son,
and they will name Him Immanuel, 
which is translated 'God with us.'"
-Matthew 1:22-23, Holman Christian Standard Bible

How can we share this truth today?  This past week, I have been reminded of how God can use even nature to remind us of Him.  Last weekend, a tornado warning came to the city I am living in.  Students were released from classes midday, and most workers I know were given permission to go home.  My school sent an emergency text message to students, letting us know to be somewhere safe.

Rushing home in traffic, I tried to keep calm.  I heard the first warning while I was at work on the 16th floor of a building that has a vast view of the sky.  Seeing the sky stressed me out, but as I drove home, God reminded me to pray.

One of the names of God that stands out to me is "Immanuel" meaning "God with us."  This is a deep thing.  God didn't just create the world and let us be.  He is still here, and He wants a relationship with us.  My friend today reminded me of a verse:
"In repentance and rest is your salvation, in quietness and trust is your strength" (Isaiah 30:15). ‎

When I had gotten a couple of texts to take cover for an hour or so, God brought peace as I sat in a small bathroom, praying as I read part of the Psalms.  Later, as I heard and read about more friends' stories through the storm, I saw how God's grace was in all of it.  God was there bringing peace, prayer, laughter.  He was there as He brought people together during the storm, and He is here now, sending people to help the communities that were damaged by the storms.

In the storm, I saw how God is powerful.  And then, I was reminded how He can bring restoration, peace, and relief.  How can we help others see our need for God, who stays with His people?

Today, I pray we remember to share that Jesus is Immanuel.  He has been a part of God's plan all along, so that we could have a restored relationship with God.  I pray God works in us and through us, so we express this truth to others, so they can have a restored relationship with our Creator and find rest in our powerful God as well.

Photo from news source WDRB 41 Louisville